The Sacred Night
by the sacred night
Summary: Tired of vamp fics where Kenshin is OOC? I am.
1. Prologue

**The Sacred Night, Prologue**

I staggered along a deserted road, having no idea where I was going.  I was lightheaded and disoriented, knowing only that it was night and that was good.  The night had never held any special appeal for me before, but for some reason tonight was different.  Tonight was different in a lot of ways.  I was totally lost.  All I could do was stagger about until I found someone who might be able to guide me back to Kyoto if I was not, in fact, there already.  I thought I'd recognize it, having lived close to it for several years, though admittedly I hadn't ventured into the actual city much.  In this state, who knew?  I probably wouldn't recognize my own mother if I saw her right now.

That was a horrible thought to have.  I erased it immediately, berating myself for the disrespect, which was doubly bad since my mother was dead.  I'd been a child when she died and seen many deaths since then, most of which I could remember in amazing detail if I weren't practically comatose from loss of blood.  I just needed to find Kyoto and my shishou and everything would be all right again.  I thought.

I heard footsteps coming up the hill toward me and was glad; maybe these people knew how to get to Kyoto from here.  They took an oddly long time to reach the top, though their footsteps sounded both close and reasonably quick.  Before I saw any faces, however, a flame caught my eye.  It was just a torch they were carrying to be able to see, but I was filled with fear I couldn't comprehend.  I told myself I wasn't afraid of fire, had never been afraid of fire, and should not be afraid of fire, but it did no good.  It wasn't as if it was out of control; it couldn't hurt me.  Well, it couldn't hurt me unless the people carrying it chose to use it as a weapon or dropped it in the relatively dry grass.  It was scary, though, for some unknown reason, just like the strange affinity for the darkness that had manifested itself in me only tonight.

Irrational though I knew the fear was, I couldn't bring myself to approach the people coming toward me, or let them approach me, for that matter.  I fled as quickly as I could and they never knew I had been there.  I took shelter in the shadow of the hill while the fire passed, then moved on.  It didn't seem strange to me that I could see without the fire, though it undoubtedly was.  I could also smell something very, very good, though only vaguely familiar.

I wandered off the road toward the smell, and as it got stronger, I recognized it.  It was a sickening thought, but that smell I'd been so drawn toward was blood.  I was stunned by the appeal of it, but also stunned by how strong the smell was.  There must be practically a lake full judging by the smell.  I was still walking toward it.  I didn't know what was going on, but I felt like I was going to pass out.  Somehow, the blood smell bolstered my strength a bit.  I didn't know I'd reached it until I felt the wetness through my tabi.  Contrary to my prediction, there was only a small puddle next to a raggedly breathing woman who looked to be about twenty-five.

I knew I should try to help her with the best of my meager knowledge, but I was too distracted by the bizarrely fascinating red liquid.  Why did it smell so good and so strong?  I didn't know, but I had the urge to taste it.  I was so hungry... I had no reason to believe this woman's blood would cure my hunger, as I'd never had a taste for the substance before, but I couldn't control myself at this point.  I dipped my finger gingerly in the puddle and licked the droplet off.  My eyes rolled back in my head and I let out a slow groan as I dipped both cupped hands into the puddle to drink.  It was the most pleasurable experience I had ever had, but it was soon to be replaced by an even more amazing taste.

When the puddle was gone, I was far from sated.  I had only begun.  There was a fresh source of more energy-filled liquid lying right next to me.  I could smell it seeping out of her.  She was already looking at me as if she had a bad taste in her mouth, but what could she do?  She was half dead and I easily pushed her flailing arms aside to sink my curiously sharp teeth into her neck.  I didn't even think about how strange it was that they were so sharp all of a sudden.  I thought about the fact that blood tasted better if it was fresh out of a victim.  I drank and drank until there was nothing more to drink, and then discarded the vessel, sighing with contentment.  I was as full as a tick and didn't even notice as I walked strongly and evenly away that the woman no longer looked about twenty-five, but more like eighty-five, and was no longer breathing raggedly.

I walked back to the road, confident that whether or not I found my shishou, nothing would ever be all right again.  I was not far off.

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ok, prologue finished.  not to worry, all will be explained in good time, my children, all in good time.  kenshin's age you should be able to guess from the mentions of "shishou."  in the actual chapters, he will be the rurouni person, but there will be allusions to this dark killer past, as i've started here.  kenshin as a vampire, IN CHARACTER!!!!  yesshhh!!!!!


	2. Go Away

**The Sacred Night, Chapter One**

The moon's friendly light shone, turning everything blue.  I was in a forest, purposely away from any human that might be about at this hour.  I didn't want to hurt them, as I could do too easily if I lost control.  Every fiber of my body screamed at me to do so, to hurt them and kill them and not care as long as I got my prize: shining red liquid overflowing with ki.  I could not afford to listen to my body in this matter, however, as that would result in several things I found profoundly undesirable.  I would have to bear the knowledge that I had killed again to satisfy the selfish urges my evil nature impressed on me, for one.  For another, I would continue not really living, but not fully dead, either, which was in itself depressing when I thought about it, but which also meant I was still a plague to humankind.  As long as I walked the earth, no one was truly safe, and that was the worst thing about my existence.

The moon, as I said, was shining benignly and happily, the complete opposite of my life.  I was about as malignant as they come, and morose to boot.  This was one of many dramatic ironies in my existence- the moon, my only light and only friend, was continually mocking me with its cheeriness and harmlessness.  I wanted to be like the moon.  It was a helpful little guide for travelers and a beautiful inspiration for poets, nothing more.  I was neither helpful nor beautiful.  The only thing I could inspire was fear in those who recognized me for what I was and nothing at all in those who didn't.

I was leaning against a tree at this particular moment, trying to decide where to go or what to do next.  I had not fed recently, so that was naturally my foremost concern, but I tried to push it away.  I had not fed recently for a reason, and it was going to stay that way.  If I wanted to feed, I could easily do so, but all that would do was continue the cycle.  I wanted to break the cycle.  Finding a way to survive without hurting others would have been nice, but I doubted it could happen, so the only alternative was to simply not survive.  It wasn't as if I hadn't died before, but I had been unconscious when it happened.  I still didn't know how I'd been changed into this undead thing I was, or who had changed me.

I was not afraid to die.  It was more like I was afraid I wouldn't be able to die.  With my unnatural strength, I could last weeks without feeding, though it wasn't a pleasant ordeal.  I got very hungry after a few nights, and could lose control easily by just smelling blood.  After a week or two, all it took was seeing a human and that human was dead.  Right now, it had been three weeks.

Tonight was torture not only because I was so hungry, but also because I was lonely.  I had not seen a human in almost three weeks, which was good for my plan but bad for my spirits, and had not seen any of my kind in two.  Members of my species, as it were, were not temptation whatsoever.  Though our blood tasted even better than that of humans, it was not very filling.  That would be like drinking vodka instead of milk for a human- pleasant if you were into that sort of thing, but very bad for you.  I hadn't seen any others in awhile simply because there weren't many around.  Most vampires claimed large areas as theirs and populated them with ones they changed.  The island I inhabited was viewed as mine by others, though I didn't really claim it, so they didn't come in and change people, and I never changed anyone.

Not that I couldn't change someone if I wanted to do so.  Just because I didn't know how I'd been changed didn't mean I couldn't do it.  It was just that there were several ways and I didn't know which my benefactor had chosen.  I probably could have figured it out if I'd known what to look for at the time, but any marks left by the process would be long gone by now, though otherwise I looked the same as I had.  Contrary to popular belief, my kind did age, but slowly.  I had been one for about fifteen years, which meant I was still a child by our standards, but none of my kind treated me as they would a normal fifteen year old.  Peaceful as I was now, I had not always been that way.

When I was first changed, I had quite a reputation as an extremely strong and extremely hungry vampire who didn't know the word mercy.  I killed all of my victims, and I fed every night.  If I felt a little guilty, I only told myself this was what I needed to survive, and surviving was not wrong.  When I'd had that philosophy for about four years, though, I met a human named Yukishiro Tomoe who changed everything I thought.  She had actually given her blood willingly, unlike any human I'd ever encountered.  I didn't have to kill anyone while I was with her, because she let me take just enough blood to live on, which would not kill her.  She didn't live long after that, though, since I found out the hard way that a vampire feeding on the same human regularly had a cumulative effect.  She aged very quickly and died when I'd known her a year.  I swore then that she would be the last person I killed.

I suddenly sensed a human presence coming toward me, jolting me out of memories.  I had to get out of here before I smelled her or saw her, because if I didn't, she was a goner.  I got up and started walking quickly away without looking her direction, but she changed direction to follow me.  I sped up, but so did she.  I changed direction several times, but I couldn't lose her.  The only thing I could do was to flat-out run and then she'd never be able to catch me.  Heck, she probably wouldn't even be able to see me.

"Wait!"  She called out, but I didn't stop running.  Maybe she needed help with something, but whatever it was, I couldn't help her.  She'd be eighty before I realized what I was doing.  I could still sense her trying to follow me, but she was falling behind.  I'd only have to run for a few minutes before I wouldn't be able to sense her anymore, and then it was probably safe to stop.  All that running made me feel faint when I was already starving to death.  When I stopped running, I could neither sense nor see any human near me.  The sun would rise soon, and then she'd be safe, because I'd be conked out for a good twelve hours.  She could come right up to me then and I wouldn't even sense her.  Surely she'd go away if she couldn't wake me up, which she definitely couldn't.

I climbed up into a tree and got comfortable to wait for sunrise.  The sun wouldn't burn me any more than it would a human, and I would heal almost instantly.  The only thing it would do was make me very, very tired.  I wouldn't be able to wake up until it was reasonably dark again.  It only took a few minutes for the sun to begin to rise, and I drifted off still not feeling any human presences.

I woke up to find my friend, the moon, ruling the sky again.  Night noises drifted through the air and I was calm, all except for one thing.  The human was there.  Before I even opened my eyes, I could sense her standing there under the tree.  Curses.

"Go away," I requested groggily, trying not to breathe the human smell.

"No.  It was rude of you to run away even after I asked you to wait, and I'd really appreciate your help.  I'm on my way to Kyoto," she explained.  My ears perked up when I recognized the name of the city I'd resided in when I was alive, and I pointed in the appropriate direction.

"It's that way," I directed, still without opening my eyes.

"I know that.  I was referring to helping me procure supplies for the journey... I'm not a big traveler, but I can see you are.  I just want you to come into town and help me buy things.  Of course I'd also like someone to travel with, but..."

"I'm afraid I can't do that," I answered.  I didn't want to be rude, but if I was nice she'd just keep trying and possibly end up dead or injured.

"Oh, really?  You don't look like you're in any hurry.  You're just lazy; you won't even open your eyes.  Look at me!"  She commanded impatiently.

"I'm afraid I can't do that, either.  Go away,"

"Not until you stop being rude to me and either come with me or give me a good reason you can't,"

A good reason.  I had an excellent reason, but telling it to her didn't really seem like a good idea.  "If I come down there and talk to you, you have to promise to slap me as soon as I'm there,"

"Why?"  She asked incredulously.

"Just promise me, please."

"You're not one of those weird people who likes..."

"No!  I just... look, I deserve it, don't I?"

"Certainly.  Ok, I'll slap you, just get down here,"

I climbed down, carefully keeping my eyes on the tree and its bloodless bark until I was standing on the ground.  I turned to look at her, and felt a sharp sting on my cheek as promised.  It helped to banish the hunger awakened by the sight of her rosy, healthy face.  I didn't even want to think about what my face looked like after three weeks without feeding.

"You don't look so good," she commented on seeing me full in the face.  So much for not thinking about it.

"I, uh... haven't eaten in awhile," I said truthfully.

"I can get you supper while we're in town," she offered, suddenly seeming concerned.

"No, it's all right.  I can take care of it,"

"You sure?"

"Of course.  Let's just go get your stuff, all right?"  I suggested impatiently.  I didn't want to have to be around her longer than necessary, because that slap would only help so much.

"Ok!"  She smiled and turned toward town, long braid whipping around her in a wide arc.

We walked the relatively short distance to the town closest to us, and I had to breathe deeply to calm myself after seeing all the humans bustling about.  Fortunately, the town also brought smells stronger than that of humans.  She guided me through various shops and I pointed out the most durable clothes and the longest lasting food for the trek from here to Kyoto.  She told me she had taken a train here to look for the leader of some group she was in, but had stayed too long and didn't quite have enough money for a ticket back, so she had to walk.

"So I take it you didn't find your leader?"  I asked, just interested in the conversation.

"Of course not, do you see him here?"  She countered, gesturing to the empty space beside her.

"Well, you could have found him and failed to convince him to come with you, or even decided on your own just to see him and then leave.  He also could have ordered you to leave, since he's your leader, correct?"

"Well, he ordered me not to look for him in the first place, but I suppose you're right,"

"So is that everything?  I wouldn't want to keep you up too late, and the shops will be closing soon," I pointed out, remembering it was not normal for humans to stay awake all night.

"M-hm, that's everything!  Time to make camp so we can get up really early tomorrow and get going!"

"We?"

"Aren't you going to come with me?  You've been so helpful, and you obviously know somebody in Kyoto.  Why don't you come with me and you can see whoever it is?"

"It would be very inconvenient.  I'm used to traveling at night and sleeping during the day.  I'd just slow you down, that I would,"

"I can travel at night.  Besides, somebody's got to make sure you get some food in you!  You look like you haven't eaten in three weeks!"  She poked me in the stomach to punctuate her words.  I just laughed and followed her out of the shop.

We camped in the forest and she insisted I eat some of the food she'd bought.  I accepted it even though it wouldn't do me any good, because telling her she was the only nourishment in sight didn't seem like a very good idea.  I didn't plan on feeding on her anyway.  I just hoped I could stick to that plan.

"Ok, I'm finished.  You ready?"

"I don't think it's a good idea for me to come with you, Miss,"

"Oh, come on, at least walk with me a little while," she inclined her head and took on a sort of pleading tone.

"All right, I just have to, um... I have to do something first.  Please excuse me a moment," I requested and walked off into the trees where she couldn't see.  There was no way I was going to keep a human alive long if I didn't feed soon, so I did the only thing I could do.  I drew my sword and slit my own wrist, drinking the lifeless blood that came forth there.  It wouldn't actually help me live any longer, because it would be right back where it came from in 24 hours, but it would give my stomach something to do so I wouldn't feel so hungry.  It was the worst blood I'd ever tasted, since it had so ki whatsoever, but it filled me up.  I walked back into the little clearing where the girl awaited me.

"All right, we can go now, that we can," I informed her and we began walking.  "Since we're going to be traveling together, may I ask your name?"

"Makimachi Misao, what's yours?"

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well, there it is.  man, it hasn't been this easy to write such a long chapter in forever.  cool!

TYDYE girl: glad you like it, and i will try to show you how kenshin can be a vampire and a nice guy!  You will see more next chapter, but a whole lot in chapter 3.

Yuhi-thedoerofevildeeds: glad you like it, and happy new year!

Chibi Yuushi: whoa!  I am absolutely bowled over by this, the longest review i have ever received!  If you were here i'd give you the biggest hug!  I love vampires, but always thought it was stupid to make kenshin one until recently.  Different authors produce different variants of the biological aspects of vampire nature, but with most women can be vampires.  What is porphyria?  I've heard it in conjunction with vamps before, but never knew what it was.  Yeah, most modern vamp authors have a very sexual idea about vamps, but i will not be doing any of that!  Especially since misao is the female in his life right now and i'm not fond of that pairing.  *blushes* glad you liked history behind the history and my writing so much... that does seem to be the most popular of my stories.  I was especially fond of this prologue as well, and i hope to continue the intrigue as the story goes on.  You will see how i keep him in character soon, if this chapter didn't already let the cat out of the bag.  *stifles happy squeal*  oh and about your HBtH review: i may have said writing PROSE doesn't come naturally to me, because i am really a poet at heart, but writing runs in my family, though again it's mostly poetry.  Thank you, though, for saying i am a writer!

Unique-starfish: finally what?  Glad you liked the story, though, and i'll try to update frequently.

Kaoru-chan21: glad you like my IC vamp kenshin, but no, he will not always be battousai.  You shall see.  By "i hate B&K" did you mean the battousai/kaoru pairing?  I like it myself, but it won't be appearing in this story.

Crazy Girl Person:  glad you like the IC-ness, i hate OOC.  Also glad you liked the detail- as a fledgling writer, I was always being told to add more detail, but as i've matured, i've fallen in love with detail!

Califpinay3001: glad you liked it.  I feel a bit bad for the woman as well, but she would likely have died anyway from her injuries.  That's no excuse, but that's why it's his DARK past.  He feels bad, too.


	3. A Secret

**The Sacred Night, Chapter Two**

It was my second night traveling with Misao.  She was very talkative and pleasant, if kind of needy at times.  She talked a lot about men named Aoshi and Hannya, who were apparently also part of this group she'd mentioned.  These people lived in Kyoto, but some, including Aoshi and Hannya, were on a mission somewhere kind of far away.  She'd left to find Aoshi a week ago, but had been unsuccessful.

"So, this man, Aoshi, is your leader?"

"Hai,"

"Why did you come after him if he ordered you not to do so?"

"Honestly, how dense are men?"  She rolled her eyes.  "I'm in love with him, of course,"

"I see," I turned my gaze back toward the moon, wondering if I should leave her.  It wasn't going to Kyoto that bothered me, because it wasn't as if I'd have to face my shishou- I could just leave once she was back with her friends.  It just seemed pointless to place myself in such a tempting situation when I was planning on dying soon anyway.  I didn't really know how long it would take, since I'd never succeeded, but I thought it must be close now.  I hoped Misao wouldn't see it happen and become sad, but then I'd have to stay alive, or as alive as I could be considered anyway, until we reached Kyoto.  I supposed I could do that.

We were on a relatively open road, since we were way out in the country by this time and it wasn't likely that humans would be around.  It wouldn't have mattered much if they had been, though, since I had eaten, in a way, just the previous night.  I wasn't hungry enough to lose control yet, and they couldn't sense what I was anyway.  They only way they could tell would be if they saw me do something humans plainly didn't do, such as teleporting or shape-shifting, but I was too starved to do any of those things anyway.  I was still stronger and faster than they were, and would be till the day I died, but they weren't likely to see that displayed.  Misao couldn't even tell after twenty-four hours in my company.

"You haven't eaten anything tonight, Himura-san.  You're paler than you were last night, even after I made you eat.  Are you sick or something?"

"Iye, Misao-dono, I haven't been sick for a long time.  I'm just... different.  I'll be fine," I assured her.

"Different?  Different how?  What could be so different about you that food doesn't do you any good?  Do you have a tapeworm?"

"Iye, I don't have a tapeworm.  I just need a different kind of food, that's all," I knew I was treading on dangerous ground telling her this much, but I didn't want to flat-out lie to her.  I would just answer her questions and try not to make her curious.

"What kind?  We can stop and buy it somewhere, all you had to do was tell me," she offered, very confused.

"It's not like that... you can't but it anywhere, I need to find it.  Don't worry, it isn't anything hard to find.  I can get it right here in the forest," I smiled to assure her there was nothing wrong.

"What is it, just out of curiosity?"

"I'd, um... rather not talk about it," I balked, not seeing any creative answer that would be even remotely truthful.  I hoped she would go for that.

"Aw, come on. It's not as if it's anything disgusting like human flesh or anything.  What's here in the forest that you can't buy anywhere except dirt?"

"I really don't want to talk about it,"

"You don't eat dirt, do you?"  She laughed.

"Iye, Misao-dono, I don't eat dirt," I smiled genuinely this time.  She seemed to be satisfied that I wasn't talking, because she kept walking, more quietly now.  She was only quiet for a moment, however.

"Ok, if whatever you eat is so easy to find, why don't you ever go find it?  Don't you need to eat every day?"

"Well, to be at my healthiest I should, but I can go a long time without it,"

"You should eat.  Why wouldn't you, if you can so easily?"

"I suppose I could.  I will tonight," I gave in, hoping she would stop talking about it now.

"Promise?"

"Why are you so eager for me to eat?"  I was glad I managed to say that properly- I'd almost said "feed" instead of "eat," and that would certainly have made her curious.

"You're worrying me, looking so pale.  I'm afraid you'll die on me," she joked, probably quite falsely sure I wouldn't be dying on her.

"Ok, I promise,"

We kept walking, chattering on about anything that crossed our minds, and I began to reconsider what I'd told her.  Any blood I was willing to drink wouldn't help me at all, since it would come out of my own veins, so it would not really be eating what I'd need.  I'd promised to eat what I needed, but I definitely couldn't do that.  Ah, well, it wasn't as if I'd lied to her on purpose.

I was kind of glad she cared enough to drag that promise out of me- the last time someone had cared for me was... Tomoe.  I hesitated to say it even in my head.  I stopped walking and Misao looked at me a little weirdly, so I went on.  If her fate was to be shared by those who care for me, I didn't think I wanted anybody to do so, but it did feel nice.  It wasn't as if it mattered much- she would forget about me when we reached Kyoto and then I could crawl away somewhere and die as I'd planned.

That was, if I didn't die before then.  That would be bad, because then Misao would be unhappy.  The whole point of this starvation diet was so I'd stop hurting others, and I definitely didn't want to hurt her by dying.  Maybe if I fed just once, to stay alive for her... no.  There was no way I could do that to someone, even if I left my victim enough blood to live.  I'd just have to conserve my energy until we got to Kyoto.

What was I really saying?  Who said she cared?  She was, after all, just kidding when she said she was afraid I'd die on her.  I supposed anybody would be at least slightly unnerved if his or her traveling companion died in the middle of a journey.  I didn't want to complicate her life by dying when she seemed to think I was worth her worry.  I could wait if it meant making her happier, and I would start by "eating" right now.

"Misao-dono, I'm going to go and get something to eat now, could you wait for me?"

"Sure, go ahead.  I'll be here when you get back," she nodded and sat down on a rock to wait.

I turned and walked through the trees until I got to a small clearing, so as to be at least mildly comfortable while I satisfied my hunger and her worry.  I drew the sword I always carried, though I didn't really need it.  I supposed I only carried it because I did know how to use it in the unlikely event I needed to do so, and it reminded me of what it had been like before I was changed.  I'd lived with my shishou and had been almost ready to learn the ougi of our style.  It wasn't the same sword I'd trained with; I'd lost that one sometime in my delirium shortly before or after being changed.  This one was, if anything, symbolic of my new lifestyle- the blade was reversed so that with normal strokes, I wouldn't cut whatever I hit with it, and thus my opponents would always survive.

I held it with the curved edge up and the blade toward my arm.  I lowered it and my blood just trickled out.  My heart wasn't beating, so it didn't move around, just sat there inside me.  It came very slowly, and the wound closed before I'd had very much, but that didn't really matter.  I'd done what I'd said I would do, so I cleaned my sword and stood up to go back to Misao.  As I turned back in the direction of our path, I saw I didn't have far to go.  She was standing right there in front of me.

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woot!  two chapters!  there will be a chapter or two more of traveling, then they will arrive at the aioya and there will be a few more chapters there, then i'll probably move on to modern times, and possibly even the future after that!  he's going to be one very long-lived vampire, as they often are.

Maeve Riannon: thanks!  I didn't know you had already found this story, so i mentioned it in my last email, but i'm glad you're enjoying it!  Thanks especially about the transposition thing; i was especially proud of that.  I liked the prologue, too, and considered doing more chapters around that time, but i obviously decided against it.  You will see about him surviving "without sucking someone up soon."  And i was planning on including kaoru as well, but after i had part of it written, i just thought, "you know what?  That sounds more like misao..." plus it made more sense for her to go to kyoto, since kaoru doesn't have kenshin to lure her there in this fic.

Yuhi-thedoerofevildeeds: there will be no romance as far as i know at this point, since i don't like fics that are too romantic and i don't care for the kenshin/misao pairing, but they will arrive in kyoto sometime in the next couple of chapters.  there will be a few chapters there, then i will move on to a more modern time period- being a vampire, he will still be around in, say, the year 2004.

Chibi Yuushi: really, my prose is poetic?  I like that idea, it's really cool, but i always thought my prose sounded more like speech... oh well, poetry is cooler!  Thanks for the porphyria info, it really does sound like it's the source of vamp myths. My vamps are not quite like that, but sort of, and they are not diseased, but undead.  Interesting bio lesson, though (i don't mind, i like bio!)  yeah, someone else said she was expecting kaoru, and to be honest so was i, but when i had it written up to the part where it mentions her long braid, that's where i decided on misao.  I just thought se made more sense and the things i'd already written for her to say sounded more like her.  I'm a big tomoe fan, and i was really committed to making this as little au as possible except the vamp thing.  I'm a k/k fan as well, but an even bigger k/t fan.  The problem i have with k/k is that she's fully eleven years younger than he is, though that was normal back then.  Tsk, tsk, don't get yourself in trouble for being online... what was your fight about?  If it's not too personal, that is...  anyway i will try to update three times a week, but that might not hold up so well one school starts again.  This review was even longer than the last time, you broke your own record!  YAY!!!!!!!

PraiseDivineMercy: i will be keeping him in character as the rurouni, though i may give him Battousai moments, because i've got a really good idea for that in the future.  He actually does have the sakabatou.  The fact that vamps are always so sexual annoys me as well, and plus my morals don't permit me to write porn (ew).  Glad several people have agreed with me on that.

Crazy Girl Person:  yes, many people were expecting kaoru, including me, but i decided misao made more sense, especially since, as you said, she wouldn't be traveling to kyoto unless she'd already met kenshin, which she hasn't.  i like her, though, so i'm going to try to fit her in somewhere.  Matter of fact, i just got an idea while typing this!  And thanks again about the description, i try to make it vivid.


	4. Sessha is Evil

**The Sacred Night, Chapter Three**

****

"What... what are you... is that what I think it is?"  She pointed and I realized I had blood oozing out the side of my mouth.  I hurriedly wiped it off, embarrassed.  I didn't say anything.  "So that's the mysterious thing you eat- blood.  You're one of those... those things... you're not human, are you?"

"Iye," I answered, supposing I'd better come clean now.

"So what are you?  Some kind of demon or something?  Am I your prey?"

"No, no, I'd never feed on you, Misao-dono!  And I'm a... a vampire," I finished, hanging my head.

"Why are you hanging around me, then?"

"You asked me to go to Kyoto with you," I answered lamely.  It was the truth, but it did sound stupid in light of recent events.

"I'm traveling home with a vampire," she said mostly to herself.  "Won't Gramps love to hear this..."

"Iye, Misao-dono, please don't tell anyone, I... I wouldn't be a danger, I'll leave you f you want, I understand," I began to slink away, too ashamed to look at her.  If I'd been a dog, my tail would've been between my legs.  Who was I, thinking I could associate with a human like a normal person?  The last time that happened... I didn't even want to think about it.

"No, wait," she requested weakly.  I turned around slowly, daring to hope.  "I... I want you to stay with me... keep traveling with me.  I guess I know why you tried so hard to get me to go away, but... just stay.  If you wanted to hurt me, you could have a million times by now.  I just sort of... freaked out when I saw, but if you're drinking yours... I guess you don't want mine," she said, attempting cheeriness at the end.

"Iye, Misao-dono, I don't want your blood.  I can satisfy my hunger with my own,"

"Isn't that kind of... counterproductive?  It doesn't sound healthy, and you're still as pale as ever.  You're actually getting worse,"

"You're right, it isn't healthy, but it's the only thing that will keep me from feeding on you.  I don't want to hurt you,"

"It won't actually nourish you at all, though, unless you have some sort of vampire power that makes it,"

"No, it won't.  You're right about that, it doesn't keep me... sustained any longer," I tried to avoid referring to myself as 'alive,' "but it does keep me from getting hungry enough to feed on a human,"

"So you only feed on humans if you're really hungry?  What's your usual food, animal blood?"

"Iye, it's human blood, but I don't want to hurt anyone, so I don't feed on it unless I lose control.  I don't mean to do it, Misao-dono," I added, hoping to preserve some vestige of any good impression of me she may have had, "I just can't help it if I haven't fed in a long time.  That's why you saw me feeding on my own blood- so I wouldn't lose control of myself and feed on you.  You would be dead before I could stop,"

"But... you'll die if you keep doing that," she concluded softly.

"Hai,"

"You're starving yourself to death?  Committing suicide?"

"H-Hai,"

"You can't do that!  It's not your fault you're this way; you can't kill yourself for it!  How exactly did you think I'd feel when I saw you died on me after we traveled together for days?"

"I... hoped I'd last until we reached Kyoto, and then you wouldn't have had to know," I confessed.  She crossed her arms and turned from me.

"You..." she trailed off.  "I can't believe you didn't..." she sighed.  She was obviously so displeased with me that she couldn't speak properly.

"Gomen nasai, Misao-dono," I mumbled.

"I forgive you for not telling me, but I can't forgive you for attempting suicide until you actually stop doing it,"

"I'm afraid I can't do that, Misao-dono.  I've been trying for eleven years to exist without hurting others, and it hasn't worked.  I have to die so others can live... I don't want to exist like this,"

"Bull," she pronounced assuredly.

"Excuse me?"

"I believe I said 'bull.'  There is no way you don't want to live.  Everybody wants to live,"

"Hai, they do, that's why I can't allow myself to be a danger to them,"

"Listen to what you just said!  That proves you haven't done anything wrong!  You don't want to be like this, you are the victim here!"

"That may be, Misao-dono, but I have done something wrong- I've killed people, and for that there is no excuse.  I cannot exist peacefully, so I have to die peacefully,"

"You self-righteous twit.  You have no idea what you're saying, do you?  All your talk about this dying so others can live junk... you don't get it.  You don't deserve to die just for being what you are," she seemed to beg.  She seemed... pained.

"You must not understand what I am very well, Misao-dono," I persisted.

"Tell me,"

"Tell you what?"

"You said I don't understand what you are.  Explain it to me," she clarified, sitting resolutely down right where she was.

"I am a vampire," I began, hoping I could finally convince her to stop pleading for my worthless life.  "I feed on human blood to survive, which kills or injures my victims, depending on how much blood I take.  In an average night, a vampire needs at least half the blood contained in a normal human to stay in its best health, but since that amount is enough to kill the victim anyway, most vampires go ahead and drink all of it," my voice got colder and harder as I spoke.  I had never had to go into detail about this with anyone before and it seemed even more barbaric when laid out so plainly.  "I could take less than the usual amount and stay fairly healthy, but I'd need to feed more often, which means instead of killing seven people a week, I would only maim ten to fourteen.  If I took just enough blood to stay in decent health, I could get away with only maiming about eight people a week," I explained.  She nodded, considering.

"What if you had a willing donor?"

"I've had a willing donor once," I began, softening somewhat at the thought of that tragic affair and my beloved's tragic death which I caused.  "She was twenty-two when I met her, but my feeding on her caused her to age much more quickly than she should have, and she died when she was twenty-three, looking like a woman of ninety,"

"I see," Misao said quietly.  She thought a moment.  "Will blood from other creatures work?"

"Iye.  Animal blood is so weak a vampire would have to slaughter entire herds nightly to stay in existence, and trying to exist on vampire blood would be like a human trying to live on sake,"

"Why do you keep saying 'exist' when you mean 'live'?"  She asked suddenly, veering in an unexpected direction.

"I do not mean 'live,' Misao-dono, since I have not been alive in fifteen years,"

"But you said you'd only been a vampire for eleven years,"

"I assure you I said no such thing, Misao-dono,"

"Hai, you did, you said 'I have tried for eleven years to exist without hurting others,'"

"That is true.  I have been a vampire for fifteen years, but have only tried to suppress that evil for eleven,"

"So for four years you were happy?"

"I would not call it that, Misao-dono.  I was healthier, maybe, but not happy at all.  I was a killer.  I... still am, though I haven't done so in twenty-three days," I viewed the ground rather than face her.

"You haven't eaten in twenty-three days?"  She exclaimed incredulously.  "How can you still be alive?"

"I'm not alive, but I am still in existence because, I suppose, I have more fortitude than I thought.  I was a very strong vampire," I conjectured.

"Was?"

"Well, you said it yourself, Misao-dono, I haven't fed in twenty-three days,"

"Oh," she quieted down very quickly.  "So, vampires... you're stronger than humans?"

"Hai," I answered without looking at her.

"A lot stronger?"

"Hai,"

"Like how much?"

"At full health, I could wrestle a tiger and win, though that would not be possible now,"

"So," she uttered, seemingly surprised, "you really meant it when you said you were stronger than a human,"

"Hai," I began the disinterested shtick again, hoping she would pick up on my desire not to answer questions.

"So do you have any other cool powers?"  She continued excitedly, leaning forward from where she still sat.

"I have other abilities, but I don't know if I would call them cool," I corrected and answered at the same time.

"Maybe not to you," she pointedly countered, "but it's not every day I meet a guy who could wrestle a tiger and win if he wasn't trying to starve himself to death,"

"I could instantaneously be anywhere in the world and I could change my physical being at will if I had fed recently.  I still heal faster than a human would and I still possess mind control abilities," I explained, hiding the annoyance I felt, so as not to be rude.

"Mind control?  Could you use it on someone without them knowing?"

"Hai,"

"You mean you could be using it on me right now and I couldn't tell?"

"You would be able to tell if I chose to let you, but I could also make you believe you were acting of your own free will.  Even then, if you somehow knew before I began, you might be able to resist it somewhat, depending on your level of mental discipline,"

"Cool," she said, kind of awed.

"I'm... glad you think so," I answered, hoping she would stop asking questions.  She seemed to be satisfied, because she did, indeed, stop.

*****************************************************************************************************

I'm soooo sorry!  I haven't updated in a week because I've been grounded from the internet, but I have still been writing, so I've got plenty of chapters waiting for you!  I'll be back on schedule now, barring emergency.

Chibi Yuushi:  so sorry you were sick, hope you're better!  I didn't notice you being late, since I was as well!  About that fight... those seem like such silly things for parents to stress over... is your family really conservative?  I used to want to be a lawyer and my parents were proud as could be until i decided music was more my style... lol.  But i've gone through three or four other things since then, and now i'm thinking interpreter, and i love languages anyway, so i'm going to learn a billion of 'em.  Thanks about Misao; i find she's one character not difficult to figure out.  i really like tomoe and i identify with her a bit since she's willing to love someone who has obviously committed a grievous crime against her and i *hope* to be that way.... but i would never have hunted him down in the first place, so if i was her we'd never have met, which would throw everything all off.  I'm not thinking hiko will be one, but he will see the "new" kenshin and will have some interesting info for him.  I've got it all planned out.  interesting about porphyria... i told my mom about it and she said she would look it up in a medical dictionary b/c some of the info i relayed to her seemed suspect.  You will find out what happens after he refuses to feed awhile and misao finds out... then when he finds out what she did about it all heck breaks loose... i've already written that part, it's soon.  I don't mind about the long reviews, either, i like them!

PraiseDivineMercy:  i'm surprised the whole not killing thing is creating so much suspense.  I think ken is the easiest person in the world to keep IC as a vamp, because it creates this wonderful angsty internal conflict that will go on the duration of his existence, regardless of the methods he chooses to sate his hunger.  Heavens, no, I'm not pairing him with misao.  I want kaoru in this, and have an idea of how i'll do it, but nothing's nailed down on that.  I'm not thinking sano or yahiko or any of the rest of them will be, though the kyoto-based people will be (misao, okina, hiko, sae, etc.)  i wasn't planning on putting Soujiro in, but now that you suggested it i might.  Sorry about your writers' block, i've got some hints if you want them.  Thanks for your well-wishing, i'm getting creativity in many ways!  Speaking of which, there's this drawing of ken i'm doing where i tried to male him look realistic and oriental, since it kind of bothers me that anime characters don't look oriental and oriental ppl are so beautiful.  The drawing is turning out very well and very wonderfully... now i just have to decide if i'll break down and color it.

The-Great-Monk-Grl: thanks!  Kaoru will not appear for awhile, but i hope to get her in eventually.  In addition, i've been grounded from the internet for the past week, but i usually update three times per week.

Houndingwolf:  love your name.  it took forever for me to get the hang of suspense, but really i don't see how there is any in this story, but everyone says there is, so... great!  I like vamps, too, and i've even got a vamp-hater reading and giving me the longest reviews of all!  I feel so special!  Don't worry about rambling; i like nice long reviews!

TYDYE girl: hai, she followed him, and she does know now.  Thank you and i'm sorry i didn't update for so long.

Maeve Riannon: thanks, i always knew he would be easy to keep IC as a vamp.  I'm surprised no one seems to have thought of this before.  Hai, misao has seen, and she is not happy.

Laurika: pretty name.  Thanks and i'm glad he's IC.  Lots of ppl said they expected kaoru, and so did i at first, but i thought misao fit better.  I'm going to try and cram kaoru in somewhere, though.  Sorry about not updating for so long, i was grounded.  I generally update three times per week.

Yuhi-thedoerofevildeeds:  i love you, too!  So glad this is different from other vamp fics, i hate how he's OOC.  I hate OOC no matter what, but i can't believe nobody thought to make him an angst-ridden would-be peaceful vamp.  There are ones like that in vamp novels, so why not here?


	5. Two Of A Kind

**The Sacred Night, Chapter Four**

****

It was my fourth night traveling with Misao.  There was no moon, so it was abnormally dark.  This wasn't a terrible inconvenience for me, but Misao was having difficulty seeing a foot in front of her face.  She occasionally wandered off the path in the darkness, and I had to go fetch her on these occasions.  This night, the new moon, was also most vampires' favorite time to go on rampages through human villages and have 'fun.'  They would sometimes torture and always kill as many victims as time allowed, only feeding on one each.  I had never participated in one of these, but I had gone along on one once because I'd been invited.  Even then, before I'd developed this non-killing philosophy, I'd found the practice shameful.  Value of their lives aside, it would still be a waste of perfectly good humans, though that wasn't why I didn't do it now.  I cared about their lives for their own sakes, though it seemed I was alone in this.

I was not especially worried, since there weren't many vampires about in general.  This was my island, after all, and other vampires respected that.  I ran across the occasional one in my travels, and although I never told them to leave, most never ventured in for fear of my wrath.  As much as I might be tempted to order them all out so my island would be safe, I couldn't do that at the expense of other areas.  They had to feed to exist, and if they didn't do it on my island, they would do it somewhere else.  This night would bring out any that were here, however, and I hoped they would overlook Misao.

This wasn't an entirely futile hope, because any vampire who could sense Misao could also sense me, and the fact that I was with her might lend itself to the assumption that she was mine.  She wasn't, but the other vampires didn't need to know that.  She would also carry traces of my aura after traveling with me for a few nights as she had, which would also serve to brand her as mine, or after awhile, might even make her aura read like that of a weak vampire.  Then she wouldn't be in any danger.

"Stay a little closer, Misao-dono," I requested, and she smiled as she did.  She probably thought I was being affectionate, but I was actually nervous for her safety.  I didn't want to disappoint her, so I let her believe what she wanted.  It wasn't that I didn't have affection for her, but that just wasn't on my mind at the moment.

Soon, my fears were realized as I sensed a vampiric presence popping up nearby.  It was nowhere near the edge of my range of senses, so he or she must have just teleported in.  The presence flickered and popped up somewhere else.  It did this several times, and I surmised that this was a newly changed vampire, just realizing he or she could do that.  It was kind of funny when I thought about it.  It was no longer funny when the young vampire popped up in front of us.  He was tall, muscular, and clear complected- the kind of person who I'd venture to say was popular with females when he was alive.  Maybe he still was.

"Is he..." Misao whispered to me while the man was still out of earshot, or so she thought, anyway.

"Hai," I replied, not bothering to whisper, as I knew he had heard her question.

"So you picked up on my little secret, bishoujo?"  He asked playfully, smiling at Misao.  Yes, definitely popular with females.

"H-Hai.  I know you're a vampire, so leave right now, because I don't intend to bleed for you," she replied, increasing in confidence as she spoke.

"How can that be, when you've probably bled for this man standing next to you a hundred times, or didn't you know he was one as well?"  The man asked coolly.

"I knew.  You know how I found out?  I saw him drinking his own blood so he wouldn't get too hungry to keep from feeding on me.  That's why I'm willing to bleed for him," she spat.  What was she talking about?  She'd never bled for me, and if she wanted to do so, I wouldn't let her.

"Is that so?  Drinking his own blood... it seems the legendary hunter has gone soft.  What a pity, he's not even old yet," the tall man continued.

_Leave.  This is still my island, no matter what I choose to do with the humans on it.  I want them safe, so leave them that way, _I mentally scolded the other man.

"Oh, asserting your claim finally, eh?  You're not the hunter I've heard about, mister.  If you're not going to feed on your humans, let a real vampire do it!"

"His humans?  Not such a bishoujo now, am I?  I'm just a meal to you, and that's why you're not getting near me!"  She punctuated her last sentence with a sweeping gesture and four kunai embedded in the other vampire's throat.

_Leave now, Misao-dono.  He'll try to chase you, but I'll take care of him,_ I told her mentally.

_Is this the mind stuff you were telling me about earlier? _She thought, assuming correctly that I would be reading it.

_I'll explain later, go!_  I commanded as the other vampire picked the kunai out of his neck, royally ticked now.  Misao seemed to see that her strategies were not going to work, because she did begin to run.  The vampire lunged after her, but I barred his path.  He went around me, and I couldn't get in his way fast enough, so I drew my sword and hit him in the back, knocking him to the ground.  This was one rare time when I wished I had a regular sword, because I knew there was nothing I could do to kill this vampire anyway, short of decapitating him.

For a human, it might have been a disconcerting sight to see the handsome young man morph into a large, black panther while lunging up toward me to strike, but I had seen similar things, even done them myself, on many occasions.  I didn't really know why, except maybe that we're vain, but for some reason, when we changed into other creatures, they usually reflected our natural forms.  My animal of choice was usually a red dragon, or sometimes simply a red lizard.

I blocked him from coming too close with my sword, but his teeth still clipped the side of my face and his claws tore far into my arms.  I threw him off, but not without dragging his claws farther through my flesh.  Of course, being a cat, he landed on all four paws and tensed to run at me again.  This time, I rushed to attack first so I could end this fight and take Misao somewhere far away from this person.  I struck right in the middle of his skull from above, and hoped that would put him out for awhile, but he had fed much more recently than I had.  He hesitated, but swiped at my legs with a front paw and, seeing my opportunity, I removed said paw.

He howled, but began to lap at the blood coming out of the stump where his right forepaw had been.  He slowly changed back into a man, and I saw that his right arm was cut off just below the elbow.  I briefly wondered what that blood tasted like, since it varied from person to person, but dismissed the thought quickly enough to begin running in the direction Misao had gone a few moments ago.  I caught up to her, still running, and swept her up to bring her along at my much faster pace.  I felt dizzy already from the fight and the running was worsening it, but all I had to do at this point was get Misao as far away from that vampire as I could.

I ran as fast as I could even though my legs felt ready to melt from under me and I was beginning to see spots in front of my eyes.  I felt oddly hot, and if I'd been human, I would have been sweating profusely and breathing painfully.  As it was, I was not breathing, my heart was not racing, and I was not sweating, but I still felt like I was going to lose consciousness any time.  I tried breathing to see if it would help, and it did help some.  I didn't usually breathe, since I didn't need to do so to survive, but apparently it did help with physical exertion.  I could also cause my heart to beat if I wanted it to do so, but I had never seen the point until now.  It would have to distribute the products of my breathing.

With the breathing and the heartbeat, I was able to continue twenty minutes before my vision started to go black around the edges, and it continued to worsen until I lost all awareness of the world.  I didn't even feel us hit the ground.

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hmm, this chapter's sort of short, isn't it?  Oh well, i think it was a good one.

PraiseDivineMercy: glad you liked the name.  i keep forgetting to name them until i get to ff.net to post them and there's that little box i don't know what to put in... glad you agree with me about how ken makes a good vamp.  I wouldn't be so disgusted, because i like vamps, but i suppose somebody who has seen one might think otherwise...  no, he will not be dying.  I suppose there is cause for suspense on how he will survive, but lucky for you, that's coming up in the very next chapter, finally!  Moreover, i'm glad you see the impropriety of a ken-misao pairing... she's WAY too young, and too obsessed with Aoshi, and just plain not ken's type, nor is he hers.  Thank you for best wishes, mine to you as well!

Houndingwolf: thanks!  What is "no da"?  in spanish, it would be "he/she/it/you formal doesn't/do not give" so i am highly confused.  In any case, glad you're enjoying!

TYDYEgirl: yes, he can!  He can, and he is!  You will see more of her reaction in the next chapter, and i think you'll like it.

Crazy Girl Person: *almost explodes with information that will ruin the suspense* you are so smart, but i can't tell you why!  And of course she will help him find a way, but really someone else is of even more help than she is.

Maeve Riannon: i think you're right that their relationship is not all that strong to withstand that kind of information, but how long can one really hide that sort of thing?  I had thought about making her so against suicide because that was how she was orphaned, but i thought maybe there actually IS an explanation of how she became an orphan that would contradict it, so i left it out.  besides, she didn't let Kamatari commit suicide, and she'd only known him the length of time the fight took.  Thank you for saying ken is well explained as a vamp.  I knew i'd have to do a lot of explaining, because these kinds of vamps are sort of rare.  I purposely made the problem difficult, because it seems like every author that writes about pacifist vamps always makes them just feed on animals instead of humans, but as a vegetarian, i don't think that is a viable solution, just to kill a different group.  He will be living in a way that involves no killing whatsoever in order to feed.

Yuhi-thedoerofevildeeds: glad he's so IC.  I thought that since he has to deal with an internal killer anyway, a vamp would not be such a big stretch, since vamps generally kill to survive.  Kenshin, though, as always, will be totally unconventional.


	6. Betrayed By A Kunai

**The Sacred Night, Chapter Five**

****

_The forest is blurry, and so is the figure of Misao leaning over me.  She is talking, but her voice is blurry, too.  I can just hear a mush of sound when she moves her lips, no words.  She says something that sounds like a request, and I shake my head no.  She becomes argumentative and insists several times, but always I refuse.  She sighs and sits back, resigned.  She reaches into the folds of her clothes somewhere and pulls out a kunai.  I see what she is going to do.  I try to stop her, but my voice only comes out as a croak.  She opens the skin on her wrist with her kunai and holds it over my mouth, letting the blood drip in.  With her young, strong heart driving it out, the sweet, red substance fills my mouth quickly and I swallow.  I lean up a bit to put my mouth to the wound, drinking and drinking until she pulls away, and I see only blackness again._

I opened my eyes and the forest was not blurry, but Misao was there.  She was leaning against a tree nearby, munching on a rice cake.  I tasted blood in my mouth, but it definitely wasn't mine.  I'd thought I'd dreamed that I'd fed on her, but it seemed as if I was mistaken.  I turned toward her without getting up and tried to tell if she looked any older.  I still had a lingering hope that it wasn't true.  If she still looked the same, I could tell myself it was a dream.

"Misao-dono, look at me please," I mumbled.  She turned toward me and came sufficiently close for me to examine her face.  I didn't see any wrinkles, and her hair didn't have the feared gray streak in it, but she looked more like a young woman than a girl now.  I sighed and looked away.

"What's wrong, Himura-san?"  She asked, probably afraid I was hurt.

"I... fed on you, didn't I?  I thought it was a dream, but I woke up and it's true,"

"Hai," she answered softly.  "Don't feel guilty.  I started it, not you.  I slit my wrist and-"

"I remember.  I went along with it, so I'm guilty.  As soon as I can stand up, I'll leave.  I'm a danger to you, clearly,"

"Well, I suppose that leaves me no choice but to make sure you can't stand up for quite some time,"

"What?"

"I'll just have to find a way to keep you here," she shrugged, "because you most certainly are not dying on my watch,"

"Your watch?"

"Hai.  You're my charge now," she nodded emphatically.

"But... I'm fifteen years older than you are," I protested.  "I can't be your charge,"

"Suicidal people are mentally unstable.  You are in no shape to be making decisions.  You are going to live if it kills you," she commanded.

"Mentally unstable?  Everyone who commits seppuku is unstable?"

"Hai,"

"Iye, Misao-dono, you can't say that.  It is an honored samurai custom, that it is," I reasoned.

"We don't have samurai anymore, or is eleven years not long enough for the news that there is a new government to reach you?"

She had me there.  I was not actually samurai anymore, because there were no samurai anymore.  Samurai were also human.  "Hai, Misao-dono, I knew,"

"See there?  You're not getting out of this.  I refuse to allow you to commit suicide because of something that is not even your fault," I opened my mouth to say that the fact that I'd killed people was, in fact, my fault, but she continued.  "Before you say it is your fault that you've killed people, that's not what I meant.  That part is your fault, but you've clearly repented of that.  I mean it's not your fault you're a vampire, and you can live without hurting others.  There has to be a way,"

"There isn't, Misao-dono, believe me, I've tried and failed,"

"Oh really?  You're not trying so hard now," she was really twisting the knife that time.  I really wasn't.

"Why do you care so much about me?  It's not as if we've known each other for a long time, and-"

"That doesn't matter!  If I'd known you five minutes I wouldn't let you do this!  I don't care how honorable it might have been considered before.  This is not the bakufu era and there are no samurai.  If you want to die, you'll have to come up with a better excuse than that," she declared, crossing her arms and turning from me again.  That was a bad sign.

_Excuse?_  I thought.  I thought it was a very good reason.  "I don't want to argue about it, Misao-dono.  Can we please stop talking about this?"  I attempted to change the subject.

"If you swear you won't kill yourself,"

I sighed.  "Is there no way to convince you that my death is a good thing?"

"Is there no way to convince you that it isn't?"

I just rolled over and tried to go to sleep, ignoring that question.  I supposed she made a point, but I couldn't allow myself to go on hurting others, and if I died before I found nourishment that didn't do that, so be it.  It would be easier that way.  I fell asleep assuring myself of that resolutely.

****************************************************************************************************

good heavens, i didn't realize the chapter was so short.  Sorry, but i like it anyway.

TYDYE girl: that's me, changing the world, one reader at a time.

Crazy Girl Person: thank you, and i will update soon (unless i'm grounded...) glad you're in suspense!

PraiseDivineMercy: more editing?  What exactly was wrong?  and about the powers- he is too starved to use many of them, but you'll see them later, if not in a fight scene.  Yes, the whole island is his territory.  There are not THAT many vamps, so they get big territories, especially strong ones like ken.  He could recover his humanity, maybe, but i wasn't planning on it.  Best wishes to you, too!

Marry-Me-Kenshin: cute name.  glad you like it, and yes, he is unfortunate.  It will get better, sometimes worse, but the ending will be good.

Yuhi-thedoerofevildeeds: thanks!  Gomen for shortness, but future chapters are of varied lengths.  Nine is really long, i just wrote it today.


	7. The Aoiya

**The Sacred Night, Chapter Six**

****

"Here it is!  Kyoto!"  Misao exclaimed as we entered the city.  I had a combination of feelings, and they didn't exactly make me want to shout as Misao was doing.  I was reminded of several people I'd left or outlived in this place, only one of whom I was likely to see again.  I was not even all that likely to see him, but it was impossible or almost so to see the others.  I didn't want to face my shishou after leaving him without explanation fifteen years before.  He must've thought I was being rebellious, but I was actually being cowardly.  I couldn't tell him the truth.

"Hai, Misao-dono, it's Kyoto, that it is," I acknowledged mildly.  I was sad for another reason that we'd arrived.  I found myself wanting to stay with Misao longer and be her friend, but I knew that since we'd arrived in Kyoto, she wouldn't be traveling with me anymore.  I had to move on and get back to my real life... death.  I couldn't indulge any more.  I had to make good on my promise to myself and countless statements to Misao- I was going to die soon.  I was finally going to die fully, not stay in this state of limbo I'd entered fifteen years before.

I continued walking with her once we were in the city, waiting to say goodbye until we reached her residence.  She led me through the city to a comfortable-looking inn, and I was a bit confused until she told me that her family owned it.  It was a place called the Aoiya where this group led by the leader she'd been seeking apparently had its headquarters.  I still didn't know the purpose of the group.  She opened a door and began to enter, receiving happy greetings, while I remained outside.  I was considering leaving without saying anything to her, since she seemed happy enough to be back and appeared to have forgotten I was present, but she turned in the doorway and looked back at me.

"Come in, Himura-san," she prompted, as if I should have known to do so.

"I don't want to bother you; your family wants to see you..." I protested, but she walked over and dragged me by the arm inside. 

"Hi, Gramps!  This is Himura-san, a traveler I met on the way here.  He's going to be staying here with us," she explained casually.

"Oro?  I never said that, Misao-dono..."

"I insist.  It's not as if you have urgent business to attend to, is it?  Where were you planning on going after you dropped me off here?"

'Into The Great Void' seemed too depressing and personal an answer to give in the presence of her grandfather whom I'd just met, and I knew she'd never let me leave for that reason anyway, so I just admitted defeat.  "I don't suppose I have any urgent business, Misao-dono, that I don't," I supposed, in a way, I was already in The Great Void.

"Then you'll stay here while you're in Kyoto.  You can sleep in my room!"

"Oro!"

"I didn't mean with me, you dingbat!"  She swatted me across the head.  "I'll sleep in Aoshi-sama's room!  It's not as if he'll be in it,"

"So you failed to retrieve him as I told you you would.  I'm just glad you returned safely," her grandfather interjected for the first time.

"Of course I returned safely, it's not as if I'm a child!"  She argued.

"Whatever you say, Misao-chan," he replied coolly and she fumed.  "Just don't give our guest a bad impression..." she quieted down quickly.  "Besides, where are your manners?  You haven't even introduced me,"

"Oh!  Himura-san, this is my guardian, Okina," she finished.  So he wasn't her grandfather, she was adopted.  That wasn't a big deal- I had experience in that area, and even if I hadn't, it was a common practice.  I wondered whether her parents were alive somewhere or if she was orphaned, but I didn't ask such a rude question.

"Konnichi wa, Okina-san," I bowed respectfully to the older man.  His hair was entirely gray, so he must have been at least sixty.  I was a mere twenty-nine, in human terms, and my hair was still solid red, unfortunately.

"It's getting late, Misao-chan, perhaps Himura-san would like to go to bed now," he said, indicating that she was to show me to my sleeping room.

"It's all right, Okina-san, I'm not tired at all.  Of course, if you'd like to go to bed, I'll go so I won't disturb you," I replied smilingly.  It was still early for me, and I liked to stay awake as long as possible during the short nighttime.  It wasn't as if I had the option of doing so during the day.

"Misao-chan needs to go to sleep,"

"Gramps!"  She fumed.  "I'm used to staying awake at night, too, from traveling with Himura-san.  He likes the night," she explained.  I didn't know if I would call that true, but she had no way to know that.

"Himura-san can do what he likes- I'm not his guardian, but Misao-chan will be going to bed," he decreed, and I was ready to go off to whatever room was assigned me and be quiet so the humans could sleep.  Misao had other plans.

"I'm not a child, Gramps!  I'm staying up with Himura-san and there's nothing you can do to stop me,"

I was shifting uncomfortably by this time, not wanting to witness the embarrassing display, but not wanting to be rude and say anything either.

"Misao-chan, if you don't go to bed right now, you can do extra chores tomorrow and Omasu can have a day without any!"  She slunk away to a hallway, motioning me to follow.  She led me to a room where there was a futon in the corner and not much else.  I didn't mind that at all- I just wondered how early the people of this house woke up, since I didn't want to sleep all day rudely without explanation, but I couldn't avoid falling asleep at dawn.

"Misao-dono, how early do the people of this household typically awake?"

"Very early, why?"

"I didn't want to be rude by sleeping all day, but I can't help it.  I thought I should at least make an appearance in the morning if everyone's up early enough," I explained.

"We will be," she answered brightly and turned to go to her own room.

"Shigata ga nai," I mumbled, walking into my room to be quiet and not disturb anyone.  I laid out the futon and got into it even though I knew I wouldn't be able to sleep.  I calmed down as best I could this early and tried to meditate so I could pass the time silently.  My mind wandered over all the reasons I shouldn't have been staying there- it was rude to sleep all day in human houses, it was too much temptation to be around all these humans without feeding, and above all, I didn't deserve to be there.  I had to come up with an excuse to leave so I could do the wise thing I should have done in the first place and end my existence.

Maybe I didn't have to make an excuse.  I had fed just a night ago, so I could do a few neat little tricks that would enable me to leave without anybody noticing until the next morning, when there would be no hope of following me.  I could instantly appear anywhere, but where would I go?  I was accustomed to walking, and even kind of liked it at times.  I decided I'd just shift to another, less recognizable form.

I hadn't shifted shape in awhile, since I was usually too starved to do so.  I looked into a mirror hanging on the wall, seeing my own youthful-looking visage.  Every few years I liked to imagine what I'd look like at my age if I were still human and try to copy it.  I was all too aware of that illusion just then, so I didn't even attempt looking my proper human age to cheer myself up.  I hadn't shifted shape for vain reasons in awhile, because I didn't want to be any more like a real vampire than I had to be.  Humans couldn't do that sort of thing, so I didn't either unless I had a reason, generally.  I was in especially sour spirits that night, though, so I did something entirely the opposite of my usual attempt to look like my dead human self.  I shifted shape just because I felt like it.

The black pigment spread down the length of each strand in my topknot and almost completely covered the ends when I heard the shoji open behind me.  I turned and saw Misao standing in the doorway with the strangest look on her face.  I made sure the black began to recede.

"What were you doing, Himura-san?"

"I... was just trying to, um..."

"Insecure about your hair, are you?"  She smiled kind of mischievously.  It was a little scary, actually.

"A little, maybe," I admitted.  Curses.

"Well I think it's beautiful.  You shouldn't change it; it's great how it is,"

"That's what my wife said," I looked down dejectedly.

"You were married?  How old were you when you were changed?  You only look about fourteen,"

"I was fourteen, but I wasn't married while I was alive.  I'd been a vampire for four years," I explained.

"Vampires get married?"

"Not usually unless they change their spouses, but I didn't change Tomoe,"

"Your wife?"

"Hai,"

"It's a pretty name,"

"Hai," I nodded truthfully, too engulfed in memories to make a detailed response.

"Why didn't you change her?  She would've been immortal with you,"

"The reason we first got to know each other very well was that she was willing to bleed for me.  Only human blood works, so she had to be human to do that,"

"I see.  She was willing to sacrifice herself?"

"We didn't know at first that it would eventually kill her.  I think she realized it before I did, and before I knew, yes, she was willingly sacrificing herself,"

"She must have really loved you,"

I didn't say anything, though I knew it was true.  I still couldn't believe I'd managed to kill the first person I'd cared about since my death.  Somehow, the fact that she'd died willingly only made it worse.  It was as if that was the final thing that meant she was a saint and I had never deserved her.  She loved this undead, inhuman _thing that had leeched the life right out of her from the start.  I was that disgusting leech._

"Anyway, the reason I came," she said after awhile, "was because you need to feed," she held her wrist out toward me.

"Iye.  Not on you,"

"On someone else?"  She looked hurt and confused.

"Iye.  Not on anyone,"

"Demo-"

"Iye, Misao-dono.  I won't kill you like I did her,"

"I never said anything about dying.  Just do what you have to do now and we'll work out a way to keep that from happening later," she cajoled.  I wasn't convinced.

"It could take years to find a way to feed safely on a human, assuming there is a way.  You'll be dead by then,"

"Fine," she said in kind of a 'you're making a big mistake, but if that's what you want,' voice.  She then slit her wrist again and began bleeding onto the floor, watching it rather disinterestedly.  She was trying to tempt me, I knew.

"Misao-dono, I'm not going to feed on you,"

"If you want to waste all this perfectly good blood that will come whether or not you decide to drink it, go ahead," she answered, never taking her eyes from the red waterfall.  I watched, determined not to get near it.

"Are you just going to sit there and bleed all night?"

"M-hm, unless you start drinking soon,"

"If I do, you'll stop?'

"Hai,"

"All right.  I'm not taking much, though," I scooted closer and began consuming the sustaining substance.

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wow, 2000 words without author notes!  I hope i can make the chapters nice and long from now on, because i hate that feeling when i'm all excited about a new chapter in my favorite story and then it's so short i barely get into it before it's over.  Oh and btw, while i'm thinking of it, sorry to anyone waiting for "heart."  That story has been officially abandoned, at least for awhile.  I may never go back to it, or if i wait long enough, maybe it will feel fresh again one day.  Who knows?

The Great Monk Grl: thanks!  No need to apologize for being late reviewing- reviews are yours to give as you choose!

Unique-starfish: thanks, and i will update soon!  Everybody was expecting kaoru on that part- i threw a curveball!  On your example, i thought of aoshi as well, but it fits enishi, too.  Annoying how ppl want you to guess whom they're talking about, isn't it?  Glad you appreciate my IC-ness... the OOC really bothers me.

PraiseDivineMercy:  there is only one person who will recognize him, but you'll have to wait for that.  I like your fics, especially 'Innocence'- "you have yellow eyes... my cat has yellow eyes" lol.  So, the suspense is killing you?  Woohoo!  And i did more editing like you said, but i didn't change enough to merit rereading the chapters.

Subaiku85: no, actually, i don't know who you are, but i appreciate the reviews!  How he got changed will come later.  Actually, about the attacking armed ppl he isn't assigned to kill, he told tomoe that he would never kill an unarmed person in the oav's and/or the manga.  He isn't a scumbag, he's hungry.  Besides, she was about to die anyway.  It's not really meant to be funny, though i am unable to write completely without humor... and yes, it is angst (see prologue).  Every single person who mentioned anything about it was expecting kaoru in that part, don't feel bad.  Misao is from the Kyoto arc.  This story will hopefully give you a good idea of her personality, but the events are not all really from the manga, obviously.

Yuhi-thedoerofevildeeds: i'm trying to make chapters longer.

Houndingwolf: thanks for the explanation!


	8. Are Not!

**The Sacred Night, Chapter Seven**

We heard the shoji open quietly and turned just in time to see a girl cover her mouth and run away, emitting a squeak as she did so.  The only thing I could think was that she knew what I was and would tell the first person she saw because she was so afraid.  My secret was out- I'd have to leave just like I'd planned, only the humans would be pushing me out, if they didn't try to kill me instead.  I supposed I could let them do that and save myself some work.

While I was sitting there contemplating my death at the hands of humans, Misao was going after the girl.  She brought her back to my room and sat her down to see what she knew, and it was quite the interesting story.

"I saw you two... he was... kissing your arm... don't worry, I won't tell Okina-san you two are lovers..."

"Oro?"  I choked out.  "Misao-dono and I are-"

"Lovers, Omasu, you're right," she interrupted, giving me a chastising look.  "Just please don't tell Gramps, you know how he gets about things like this," she requested seriously of the girl.

"But you're... what if you get... you know... have a baby?"  Omasu asked.

"That can't happen.  He's... you know," she nodded toward me.  It was true, even if we were lovers, I couldn't have impregnated her, but how would she know that?  I supposed the fact that I was dead could have something to do with it, but she didn't exactly accept that, either.

"Ohhh... I'm sorry for you, Himura-san," she answered, bowing.  "I won't tell," she finally told Misao.

"Arigato, Omasu!"  She finished and politely gave the girl a push out of the room.

"Misao-dono, we are not-"

"I know, baka!  I was just telling her that so she wouldn't figure out that you're a vampire!  Do you want her telling everyone that?"

"Iye," I admitted.

"Then we have to let her think we're lovers.  She'll probably tell someone, but then they'll be even less suspicious of the truth,"

"You could get in trouble if she tells someone, Misao-dono,"

"I'm in trouble all the time.  I can take it,"

"I don't want you getting in trouble for my sake, Misao-dono,"

"I'm going to get into trouble if someone finds out the truth, too.  Do you think they'd react kindly to my bringing a vampire into the house?"

"I don't suppose so," I admitted.  She had me.  There was no way I could tell them after that.  She'd get into a lot of trouble having a secret lover, but a lot more trouble bringing a known killer into her family's house.  Besides, as inappropriate as a romance between us would have been, her family didn't know most of the reasons it would be so inappropriate.  I was dead, but they didn't know that.  I was thirteen years her senior, but they likely thought I was younger than she was.  I was a murderer, but they definitely didn't know that, and they had no way to know I'd been married before, which just emphasized the point that I was too old for her.

"There.  You can't go telling them anything because then you'll hang both of us.  Now I have to go and at least try to get some sleep, because I've got chores to do in the morning.  I suppose you'll just have to wait here until everyone starts to wake up, and then you can socialize or help with the chores or whatever until you go to sleep,"

"Misao-dono, what are your chores?"

"I have to sweep the floor in the Aoiya before the guests wake up or new ones start to come in, why?"

"Just wondering," I answered.

When she left the room, I began to transform.  I became a tiny red salamander and crawled beneath the door of my room to exit the part of the building where the family lived.  I entered the place where the paying guests stayed and skittered through the halls, looking for a broom closet or something of that nature.  I found one, and entered it in my guise.  I stood to my full humanoid height inside, procured a broom, and left the closet thusly.

I finished sweeping the floor and there was plenty of dark left before I had to go to sleep, so I started cleaning off the tables.  Very soon, the whole place was quite spotless.  I heard footsteps approaching, and a small red salamander darted back to the area where the family lived.  I got back to my room and reverted to my natural state.  After a few moments, I heard surprised conversation accompanied by more footsteps reentering the family's quarters.

"Someone did all our chores while we were asleep!"

"The Aoiya wasn't nearly that clean when I left it last night,"

"Who could've cleaned it?"

"It's not like any of us to do that,"

"I was asleep,"

"Me, too,"

"I sure didn't do it,"

"Could it have been Himura-san?"

"Why would he do that?"

"I don't know, but he's the only person who hasn't denied it,"

"Yeah, he was probably awake, too; Misao-chan said he stays awake at night,"

"He probably did!"

I didn't think it would be so obvious it was me who did the chores.  Maybe I should have realized, but it was too late now.  I just went out to socialize with them, since they didn't have anything else to do until the guests came.  None of them mentioned the chores to me, but they were clearly in better spirits than usual.  I was glad I could make them happy- it was a feeling I hadn't had in awhile.  After we talked awhile, however, I had to excuse myself to go to sleep.  I fell asleep quickly and easily, since there was a window letting sunshine into my room to wash over me.

I woke up with only a few selective memories of the previous night, but they gradually came back in force.  I then spied a package wrapped with paper in the corner of my room.  There was a piece of paper on it that said, 'thank you, Himura-san' on it.  I wasn't sure whether to open it.  It was clearly for me, and it was clearly a response to my doing the chores, so there was no real reason not to accept it, but I just felt weird about it.  I felt weird until I realized they would be expecting to be thanked and see me using whatever was in the package, so I opened it because I didn't want them to think their gift displeased me.

It was a new gi.  It was a really nice, light silk material, dark green in color.  I put it on instead of my customary magenta one, and it was flattering.  It was very comfortable, too, since it was so hot out in the summer.  Maybe I would have appreciated it more if I wore it during the day, but I liked it anyway.  It was a good gift.  I went out to the main room to see everyone and thank them properly for their gift.

"Domo arigato gozaimasu, everyone," I said, bowing, after we had exchanged hellos.  They made the appropriate responses and complimented me on its looks, but I noticed Omasu looking at me a little strangely.  She was probably uncomfortable with her 'knowledge' of my relationship with Misao.  I didn't know how close she and Misao were.  Misao might have made up 'intimate details' to tell her if they were close friends, in which case she was probably very uncomfortable.  Actually, if they were incredibly close, Misao might have told her the truth, in which case she was probably not only uncomfortable, but also scared.  I smiled at her to reassure her that whatever was wrong was all right.  She smiled weakly back, and I hoped somewhat reassured.  I made a mental note to ask Misao just what she had told that girl.

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i like this... the whole misconception... i'll have to bring that in again later.

Ms. Zeal: thank you for your compliment, and the answer to your question is this: if he did not draw the blood directly out of her, but drank it from a cup or something, it would not cause her to age so quickly, but she would still suffer the effects of the loss of large amounts of blood, which are none too pleasant in themselves.  Thank you or taking interest enough to ask!

TYDYE girl: you don't have long to wait!

Houndingwolf: interestingly enough, I just got the idea for how i'm going to insert her a few moments ago.  She'll be around in one to three more chapters.

Unique-starfish: thanks!  Glad everyone is still IC, i'm a little nervous about living up to my claims.  I think i would let a vamp drink my blood, because it would keep them from killing others.  In addition, i just like vamps, so i don't think it would be so bad.  I do plan on updating frequently.

Chibi Yuushi: don't feel bad for not reviewing- reviews are a privilege, not a right.  Glad you liked the shape shifting, and yes, you will see kenshin do it later.  Also glad you like the introspectiveness... i love it as well, and i hate writing too much dialogue.  That's part of the reason i like your RtK so much, because while there is plenty dialogue and action, there's a lot of description and thought as well.  Many fics start out that way, and then lose it as they go on.  The little italics section was meant to be describing it as it happened, not as a memory, but i'm still glad you liked it.  The only reason i put it in italics was because he thought he was dreaming, and dreams are usually italicized.

Maeve Riannon: she just looks a bit older each time, such that you can tell, but not glaringly.  Okina didn't notice for this reason.  in addition, it was dark when they arrived, since they travel at night.  No, Okina does not know who ken is, because he is only well-known among vampires, but maybe that ruins my 'as realistic as possible' goal, but oh well...

Yuhi-thedoerofevildeeds: thanks!  You may not notice the effects of trying to make chapters longer for awhile, though, since i'm about four chapters ahead of what i'm posting.

PraiseDivineMercy: sorry if it's too bloody... i try not to make it too bad.  You're on the right track with someone walking in on them, though you can see it's not okina.  I don't know to what quote you were referring, but i don't think i took it from you, whatever it was.  Blessings to you as well!


	9. Curiosity

**The Sacred Night, Chapter Eight**

Most of the humans went to sleep, though I doubt Misao had adjusted her sleep schedule so quickly.  I assumed I would be alone awhile in my room before Misao came for me to feed, which I would do, since it was obvious by this point that resistance was futile.  I still wondered if I should leave, but the thought of it just got more and more difficult to weather.  Leaving seemed less like a release into a long-awaited death and more like an unpleasant duty.

Misao came in soon and knelt on the floor.  "Are you going to cooperate or do I have to persuade you again?"  She asked as if she were disciplining a wayward child.

"I'll cooperate," I admitted and scooted close to her.  I had not yet bitten her, in spite of having fed on her twice, so she was understandably somewhat nervous.  I bit into her skin and out of habit, began the mind control which vampires routinely used on their victims.  It was mainly aimed to make the experience a pleasant one for the human and was the reason many vampires had willing donors for long periods of time.  This type of thing was often used even if the vampire intended to kill the victim, because it was so automatic after awhile a vampire might not even realize he or she was doing it.

It was surprisingly easy to convince humans that they were not, in fact, feeling any pain, when having sizable quantities of one's blood sucked out through tiny puncture wounds was indeed very painful.  The effect was similar to that of a highly hallucinogenic drug, though contrary to popular belief, vampire saliva does not have hallucinogenic properties.  The mind control, however, can be powerful enough for the human not to have any idea that he or she is even being fed on if the vampire is adept at it.  Of course, unless the mind control was continued for a long time after the feeding or the human died, he or she would notice the effects of blood loss quickly and possibly figure out what had happened.

I had not bothered to become good at the mind control for quite some time after becoming a vampire, because I did kill all of my victims at first and didn't find it important for them to enjoy their deaths.  I made a point of it, however, after I became involved with the woman who later became my wife, because it was very important to me that if I was to hurt her, at least she should not feel any pain I could prevent.

This meant that Misao, at the moment, believed wholeheartedly that she was meditating in a Zen garden somewhere near the ocean, and not having her life force drained by an undead creature.  I judged this would be a good illusion for her, being trained in martial arts and having done a lot of meditating in her life.  She was perfectly serene and not resisting me at all, though she wouldn't do that even if she was aware of what was happening.

I knew perfectly well how much I could safely take, and the limit was approaching.  I stopped coaxing it out and just licked up the remainder of the blood that came on its own.  I backed away and took stock of her appearance.  She was pale, as she rightly should be, and had the tiny wounds she'd bled through, but was overall looking unhurt.  I could see the accelerated aging in her face, but it wasn't all that bad yet since she was so young anyway.  She'd looked about sixteen, her actual age, when I met her, and now looked about nineteen.  It wasn't that big a difference.

"Are you all right?"  I asked, just to make sure I wasn't missing something.

"Hai... I had a dream I was in a Zen garden meditating... it was awful... did you do that?"

"It was awful?"

"I guess that means you did it.  I hate meditating.  I have to," she shuddered, "sit still,"

"Gomen nasai.  I thought it would be pleasant for you since you're trained in martial arts and have probably meditated often as a result,"

"I have, but I still hate it.  Hannya always said it was nice, too, but I never understood it,"

"Is Hannya your teacher?"

"He was.  He's off on that mission with Aoshi right now, so he hasn't been for awhile,"

"I see.  You were really searching for more than just one man you love, then,"

"Hai.  Five men, actually," she sighed.

"Close friends?"

"More than that.  They are as much my family as Gramps is,"

"I see.  Aoshi is the leader, Hannya is your teacher, what of the other three?"

"Well, they all taught me different things, not just Hannya.  He was of the same rank as the other three- just members of the group, not leaders like Aoshi-sama,"

"You must be very good after having five teachers,"

"Of course, it's me!"

"Of course," I laughed, "It's good that you're devoted enough to search for them, but you should not have disobeyed their orders, Misao-dono," I chastised.

"If you hadn't seen your sensei in three months for some unknown reason, wouldn't you search for him?"

"I haven't seen my shishou in fifteen years," I said more to myself than Misao.

"Well, I meant before you finished your training, Himura-san,"

"I actually... haven't,"

"Did he send you away?"

"Iye, I left,"

"Fifteen years ago... he doesn't know you're a vampire, does he?"

"I couldn't tell him,"

"And that's why you left, isn't it?"

"Hai,"

"You should tell him,"

"Why?  After all this time, and all the things I've done, I can't expect him to allow me to continue my training..."

"He might not, but you should at least repair your relationship.  He probably thinks you hate him or something.  You don't, do you?"

"No!  My shishou... is a complicated man.  I owe him the life I had before this happened, and he really is a good man, but..." I became dark, "he has a vindictive side,"

"I see," she grinned mischievously.  "Afraid to face his wrath?"

"I am not afraid, Misao-dono, I only know what that man is like,"

"It doesn't matter what he's like.  You care about what he thinks of you, and he probably thinks something really horrible,"

"That's very likely and that's exactly why I can't go back to him.  I've been shamed,"

"You most certainly have not.  There is no reason you should be shamed by something you couldn't prevent,"

"We have been through this before, Misao-dono,"

"Hai, and you have yet to get it.  If a girl is raped, has she done anything wrong?"

"Misao-dono, this is nothing like-"

"Answer the question!"

"No, of course she has not done anything wrong, she is the victim of a crime,"

"And so are you," she pointed at me to make her point.

"It's not the same.  I embraced what I was and willingly killed hundreds of humans to sustain it.  I am a murderer,"

"The way you always avoid saying you're alive, I would think you think of yourself as a murder victim,"

"That, actually, is true, but what I did after that is what is inexcusable.  I have done evil; I am evil,"

"Not anymore!  I had to practically force-feed you even a little of my blood!"

"It hasn't always been that way.  If I'd met you twelve years ago, you would probably be dead right now,"

"This is not twelve years ago!  You are not like that anymore!  You've changed,"

"That is not enough,"

"What would your teacher say to that?"

I was speechless.  I had often wondered what my shishou would think if he knew what I'd done and what I was, but never what his opinion on my view of it would have been.  I tried to imagine it, but only saw him condemning me and walking away, which I could not face.

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Houndingwolf: I have a correction of something I told you before.  I said Kaoru would be along in 1-3 chapters, but i was thinking 1-3 chapters from where i'm writing, not where i'm posting.  She'll be in chapter 12 or 13.

TYDYE girl: a eunuch?  I thought a eunuch was a priest or something that was... let's say... not fully functional sexually.  I'm very confused about how you could get that out of my story...

Laurika: glad you thought that was funny... i did as well.  i though it was perfect for him to try to tell the truth and misao to have to cut him off... it was the perfect funny misunderstanding.  Glad you liked the part about tomoe... i love her.  Misao is fun to write about.  I thought it was a little awkward to have her care so much that early, but she didn't let kamatari kill himself when she'd only known him a couple hours or something.  Glad you liked the fight scene... i hate violence, but it was inevitable.  There might be future battles.

Chibi Yuushi: actually, i love that misconception as well, but i've rather neglected it in future chapters... i may have to revise them and out it in.  that twin of yours is funny... your bio, compliments of him and a few others, is as well now.  I don't know if you've checked it recently, but it says he figured out your password and messed with it lol.  There will be a "system" of some kind for vampires' blood supply when i get to the modern era, but now they're too sparse to work together on it.

Maeve Riannon: she will not be giving her life, really.  I've thought of bringing Aoshi in as well.  he would make an excellent vampire. I like the salamander thing as well, but i like shape shifting in general.  Sorry to say i've neglected the lover thing in future chapters, but i'm thinking i need to revise them to out it in.  Hiko will be instrumental in finding the solution, though he himself doesn't provide it in this story.  He'll introduce kenshin to someone... interesting, let's say.

Yuhi-thedoerofevildeeds: yes, that was quite popular.  I need to put it in more!

Unique-starfish: glad you liked it.  I do try to update frequently, like 3 times a week.  If you're worried about writer's block, just write a few chapters ahead, and you can post even if you don't write.


	10. Not My Father

**The Sacred Night, Chapter 10**

I was alone.  Misao had left after the conversation we'd had after I fed on her, and she would be sleeping soundly by this time.  She had put all sorts of images in my head of my shishou looking down at me, glaring, and turning wordlessly away.  That was the only thing I could believe he would do, except maybe make a sarcastic remark, if he saw what I had become.  She was right; I did care what he thought of me, and whatever he thought could not possibly be worse than the truth.

Actually, he probably thought I had run away because I thought his training was too hard or he was too strict.  He was a strict and tough teacher, but that was not the reason I'd gone.  When I'd first been changed, I didn't realize it at first.  I woke up outside when it was dark and I was hungry.  I had killed my first victim before I truly realized what I was.  I had gone back home to my shishou, since I hoped he would have some useful advice, but when I'd gotten there, I couldn't bring myself to tell him.  I had killed someone, which he had long prepared me to do, but for entirely different reasons.  I had since learned the killing is always wrong, regardless of the reason, but did not necessarily believe that at the time.  I had killed that woman out of pure desire, pure hunger, not to protect someone.  My shishou could never approve of that, nor should he.  I slunk away in the night only hours after I'd gotten home.

I'd run away from him because I was too ashamed to tell him the truth.  I didn't think there was any going back by this point, since it had been so many years and he may have even forgotten all about me, which I almost hoped he had.  It made me sad to think about that, but even worse to think about him remembering my leaving.  He must have known something was wrong with me, because I could barely look at him the whole time I was home.

Come to think of it, his house was still the only home I had, unless the Aoiya counted.  I had never settled down anywhere else except when I was married to Tomoe, and that house was not actually mine, but hers.  I had only been at the Aoiya a few days, but I wasn't sure Misao would ever let me leave, except to find my shishou, of course.

If I could go back to him and know it would be just like before, I would have done it.  I definitely couldn't do that, since nothing could ever be the same as it was when I was alive.  I could try to make it the same and not tell him the truth, just pretend I was still human, but he would still know something was wrong.  He could read ki so precisely it was scary, and he would know my increased strength and speed were not the results of my own discipline and practice during my absence.  Besides all that, he deserved to know.  I couldn't lie to the man- he had never lied to me.  He did deserve to know.  I had never thought before that it would be unfair to my shishou to let him believe whatever lie he probably believed, but I thought of it now.  I was lying to him by letting him believe a lie without trying to correct him.  He didn't deserve to be lied to, least of all by me.  I had to go.

The next night, after Misao left, I began to prepare to leave.  She had tried a little more to convince me to go, but I had been noncommittal about it.  I didn't want her to try to follow me, but also it was just personal.  She didn't need to know.  I didn't really have to prepare a whole lot, since I could be standing in front of him in a moment, but I had grown used to walking and kind of liked it.  I couldn't become a salamander as I had before, because I felt I should have my sword with me, though I hopefully wouldn't be using it.  I would become a less recognizable humanoid shape.

My topknot contained only black hair, I was six inches taller than normal, and my eyes were a flat tree bark color.  As I looked in the mirror, I easily recognized myself.  I couldn't bear to remove the one identifying mark that would betray me every time, if only for a few moments.  It was a reminder of a dark time in my existence, but also of the best thing that had ever happened to me.

I wore my own old, patched clothes, not the new gi I had been given for doing chores.  It would identify me to the residents of the Aoiya if any happened to be awake, but it would also feel strange and new in such an old place as my destination.  I opened the door as quietly as I was able, and clung to the shadows while I crept out of the house.  If anybody saw me, it wouldn't be that big a deal, because they would simply think I was a thief and chase me out, which was exactly where I wanted to go, but I wanted to avoid frightening them.

I arrived outside and struck out unfailingly in the direction of the highest mountain in the area surrounding Kyoto, at the highest livable point of which I would find my shishou.  He would be at home- the only reason I had ever known him to venture out was to buy sake, and he should have a good supply at this time of year if he hadn't changed his habits drastically since I'd last seen him.  The only way I'd even met the man was that he was on his way into a surrounding town to buy sake when he came upon a group of bandits attacking a slave auction, and had saved me from being killed in the exchange.

I ran up and away from the city, getting closer and closer to the mountain dwelling all the time, and morphing back into my natural form.  I only had a few hours until I had to be back in my room, and while my shishou might not want to have a lengthy discussion about my mad existence, I tried to leave time for one anyway.  I arrived soon to see the small house looking the same as always, and was assaulted with memories.  I saw the place I had learned everything I knew how to do with the weapon I held and the place my shishou had crafted pottery sometimes.  I saw the place I had lain when sick and the place I had slept deeply every night for four years, too tired even to remember dreams from training so hard all day.

I eventually reached the place where he slept- I had never been privileged to see this room before, but I didn't dwell on the dispelled mystery.  I sat in the dark and waited, not sure whether to wake him up.  He was an early riser, so if I waited, I could speak to him a bit before I had to leave, but not very long.  I was afraid I'd lose my nerve, so I decided on a compromise.  I wouldn't be so obvious and shake him awake, but instead would make some other sound that would do it.  I left the room and moved through the house, eventually finding a suitable item to drop.  It wouldn't take a terribly loud noise to arouse his suspicion, but I picked an especially loud one just for good measure.  Before the clatter had time to echo, a giant hulk of a man was in the doorway to the room that happened to contain me.  He glared down exactly as he had in my thoughts.

"Sou desu, Baka Deshi," he said slowly.  My gaze dropped with no thought.

"Konnichi wa, shishou," I bowed very, very deeply.

"Have you decided you want to continue your training?"

"If I had, would you allow me to do so?"

"Of course not," he pronounced casually.

"I accept that you won't take me back as your apprentice, but I have a confession to make to you before you send me away," I told the ground.

"I'll hear it," he nodded and waited for me to speak.

"Fifteen years ago, I disappeared briefly, returned for a single day, and left again, never returning until now.  During the first disappearance, I was somehow rendered unconscious.  Even I don't know how that happened.  When I awoke, I craved blood, and before I realized why, I had murdered my first victim.  I am a... vampire, shishou," I explained.

"Of course you are.  I've known that ever since that day you came back.  Have you forgotten who taught you to read ki?"

"Iye, shishou.  I thought perhaps my ki was too weak then," I answered.

"You'd have to be _completely_ dead for me not to recognize what you were.  Is that all?"

"H-Hai.  I'll remove myself from your sight," I bowed again.

"Stay where you are, deshi," he ordered and I didn't defy him.  I stood in front of him and waited for him to speak.  "Follow me,"

I followed him through and out of the house, into the dark, sparse forest on the mountain.  I had no idea where he was taking me, and though he had called me 'baka deshi,' I was by no means stupid enough to ask.  We went far away from the house and down the mountain somewhat.  Eventually, I could sense another vampire's presence, and a strong one at that.  We approached him or her, and before long, I was face to face with a vampire whose ki looked suspiciously familiar.  The only place I could recall seeing anything like it was in the mirror.

"Katsura," my shishou greeted.

"Seijurou," the stranger replied.  My shishou pushed me forward, and I stumbled into the center of the moon-bathed clearing.  The stranger's head snapped up and he froze for a moment on seeing me.  I was beginning to get an idea of how I was connected to this vampire, but he clearly realized it on sight.

"Where did you find him, Seijurou?"

"In my house, just a few moments ago," my shishou answered.  The stranger stared at me another moment, then spoke.

"Come here, Boy," I narrowed my eyes.

"My name is Himura, and I don't take orders from you," I replied without moving.

He seemed displeased, but didn't press the issue.  He stood and came to me instead.  He walked silently around me, and then addressed me again.  "You know what you are, I trust?"

"Hai," I replied curtly.

"You know what I am?"

"Hai,"

"Who I am?"

"I have a guess,"

"What's that, Himura?"

"You're the vampire who changed me into what I am," I stated confidently.

"Hai.  In our terms, I'm your father," I turned on him at that.

"You are not my father,"

"Not your human father,"

"I have only one father.  He is dead,"

"You disown me?"

"Have you done anything to warrant it?"

"I changed you,"

"Why?"  This was a question I had asked myself often, but had never been able to answer.

"I found you far from your home, unconscious and bleeding on the ground.  I knew you would make a strong vampire, so I chose you.  You are much more powerful now, after a mere fifteen years as you are, than you would have been as a human if you trained every day of your life.  You can reach a higher potential this way.  You're immortal,"

"Arigatou gozaimasu for your good intentions, Katsura-san, but I don't fully appreciate your gift,"

"You are one of those, then.  You're one of those rare vampires that find it sinful to prey on humans.  Humans are your natural prey, Himura-san.  Your preying on a human is no worse than a human preying on fish," he explained.

"I don't agree.  Humans are entirely different from fish," I still had not moved from my standing position in the middle of the clearing.

"Believe as you wish, but my gift to you has been wasted if you refuse to feed properly,"

"Gomen nasai, Katsura-san, I cannot agree with you.  I did for four years, and those years are the darkest time I have ever seen.  I met a human who taught me otherwise,"

"You let a human convince you not to feed?"

"Not directly.  I learned it from her death.  Humans are valuable, not to be killed off for our satisfaction.  They are sacred,"

"You felt bad after you preyed on her?  What made her so special?"

"She was a willing bleeder," I answered.  "I knew her a year and she died willingly," I explained.

"Ah, so you had feelings for a human.  That will kill a vampire faster than anything,"

"It was eleven years ago and here I stand,"

"Hmph.  You wouldn't be standing here if not for some unplanned luck, would you?"

I thought about Misao.  I supposed that situation was unplanned luck if being a vampire longer counted as luck.  That wasn't true- she would have been a blessing even if I had never fed on her.

"Iye,"

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PraiseDivineMercy: i do love the shape shifting, and you will see it every so often throughout the story.  Yes, he does clean... he can't fight is nature, lol.  I love the mind control, but i don't put it in much.  I never thought of misao as the sitting still/meditating type... and he is only feeding on her because she will not exactly take no for an answer... plus, she's convinced she can figure out how to do it safely.

Houndingwolf: thank you!  Kaoru will come eventually, i promise.  I see you're a fan of her... do you dislike tomoe?  A lot of k/k fans dislike tomoe, but i love both.  However, clearly, tomoe won't be actually appearing in this fic, though she's mentioned from time to time.

TYDYE girl: well, i suppose if you go by that definition, yes.  He can't get a woman pregnant, but when vampires change others into vampires, they consider those people their children, as you can see in this chapter.  I suppose your question about hiko is also answered...

Laurika: glad you like it.  One reader said she was squeamish about blood, but i didn't think it was THAT bad.  Vampires and blood kind of go together, ne?

Maeve Riannon: yes, sitting still has never been her strong suit... i thought that would be something he would see as very nice but she would hate.  Okina doesn't make many appearances for a bit, but when he does, you'll see he suspected something.  I adore hiko... he can ruin a pleasant moment so marvelously.

Yuhi-thedoerofevildeeds: glad he's IC, that's important to me.  Yes, vampires' wounds heal very quickly, unlike ours, which take days.  Have you ever seen X-men?  It's kind of like wolverine's healing ability.


	11. The Answer

**The Sacred Night, Chapter Ten**

"See?  You would be dead because of that human if not for whatever bit of luck you had.  What exactly did keep you sustained?  A willing human?"

"H-Hai,"

"I suppose you'll be all right if you feed on willing humans,"

"Iye.  Only her,"

"Why only one?  Just her and that woman who died... what was different about them?"

"The woman who died was my wife, and I didn't realize I would kill her until it was too late.  The human I met recently, Misao-dono, seems to think she can figure out a way for me to feed on her without killing her, and she won't take no for an answer,"

He gave a small smile.  "A human that won't take no for an answer is rare, and not many vampires would even say no to start with,"

"That's true,"

"You're a rarity yourself, Himura.  You remind me of myself as a youth,"

I perked up at that.  He was like me once, and had changed his mind?  Would centuries of being a vampire do that to me as well if I failed to die?

"I hope it will," Katsura answered, obviously having read my thoughts.  I made a mental note to guard them more heavily.  "I understand how you feel, and believe me, it's refreshing, but you're not wrong to be what you are.  If tigers refuse to eat smaller, weaker animals, they'll all die out, and then the small animals will multiply so much that all the animals smaller than them will be eaten to extinction.  The whole world is off balance when you remove entire species, and vampires are no exception.  It might not seem right at first, but it'll be for the best if you don't deny what you are,"

"I don't deny it.  I know what I am, and that is why I will remove myself from the earth,"

"Seppuku?"  He asked, knowing instantly what I meant.

"Hai,"

"So you're just going to humor this girl until she dies or bores of you, then die,"

"Iye, not until she dies.  I won't kill her like I did Tomoe,"

"You're confident she'll give up, then,"

"Not entirely, no," I admitted.

"What then?  Are you going to bind her, or have you already?"

"I don't know what you mean, Katsura-san," I answered, slightly confused.  Bind her?  Did he mean make her my prisoner?  I would never do that.

"Binding is the only other option if she doesn't give up and you won't kill her.  It's the only way to feed on her safely, unless you plan on changing her, but you don't seem to want that,"

"You mean there is a way I can feed on her without harming her?"

"You don't know about binding?  You were at least a normal vampire for awhile, but four years isn't long... You can bind her to yourself and she won't age when you feed, but she won't age like a human, either.  She'll age like we do,"

"She'll still be human?"

"Hai.  The only difference is she'll age as we do until you die and won't get sick or be hurt by your feeding until then, either.  When you die, she'll be a completely normal human again and start aging as they do,"

"How is it done?"

"You both have to bleed into a bowl, in equal amounts, and then add water until you can see the bottom of the bowl.  You both have to drink some, and it will be finished.  Don't let her drink too much of it, though, because if she gets too much of your blood in her, she'll change," he explained.

I nodded somewhat dubiously.  I believed him, but there was a risk.  I didn't want her changed.

"Also, if she drinks any, any at all, and you don't, she'll age as we do, but you still won't be able to feed on her," he added.  I nodded again, and then had a thought.

"Katsura-san, when you changed me... " I hesitated, but he nodded to indicate I could continue.  "How did you do it?"

"Returning," he answered simply, and I was relieved to know to what process he was referring.  The vampire would drink all of a human's blood as if to kill him or her, and then quickly give some back.  It was one of only two methods that could be employed on an unconscious person.  I don't want to discuss the other one.

"Are you two going to want to have a sentimental moment to catch up, or can I take this idiot back where he came from now?"  My shishou spoke up for the first time since he'd told my... _father_ where he'd found me.  Katsura looked at me to make sure I agreed, and nodded to say we could leave.  I followed him a short distance, and then he turned and said he hoped I didn't want to go and live with im again.  I assured him I didn't, and directed my steps back to the Aoiya.

So the vampire who had changed me, this Katsura, whose first name I didn't even know, thought it was good, natural, normal, even a service to the world to feed on humans as vampires do.  He seemed to like my opinion, naive as he believed it was, but didn't agree.  He thought it was good to feed on humans, but it 'might not seem right at first.'  Did that mean he had done what I had?  Did it mean he had had to acclimate himself to killing, as I had done as a child?  By our standards, I still was a child, but I didn't feel young anymore.  I didn't suppose any vampires did if they survived long.

What would I turn out like if I existed for centuries after this?  Would I become the hungry, violent vampire I'd once been again?  Could I survive as I was?  Would Misao want me to bind her, and then would I be able to survive without hurting her as I wanted?  It seemed too easy, except for Misao.  It would be a hard decision for her to make, because she would either have to tell her family the truth or leave them.  There was no hiding a sixty year old woman who looked nineteen.  If she told them the truth, I'd have to tell them my secret as well, and they would either accept it or kick both of us out.

I wasn't sure whether Misao would be happy to hear that there was a way to bind her or not.  She would be happy at least until I told her she would be practically immortal, and then there was no telling what her reaction would be.  Some humans would give their weights in gold to have that kind of longevity, but if she couldn't extend it to her family, she might decline.  I wondered if I could bind more than one human at a time.  If I could, I supposed she could stay with her family and they could all be together for that huge amount of time until I died completely.  I could stay with them, then, and we would all live together for... practically forever.  The rest of Kyoto might get suspicious, though, and I certainly wasn't going to bind an entire city...

If it was possible, I felt even worse than I had before.  Before, I had been unwilling to recieve Misao's help, but got it free of charge because she wanted so badly for me to survive.  Now I was about to ask her to leave her family forever.  What a person I was- trying to do the sensible thing and die, I met a human who wouldn't go away, let her convince me to feed on her, and now I'd let another vampire convince me to take away her short, normal life.  What was I coming to?  I should never have come to Kyoto with her.

Perhaps she would refuse, and then I could go back to my own monotonous half-life with a clear conscience.  If she accepted, I would be better off never to have asked, because then I would be responsible for ruining her life.  Maybe I shouldn't ask, then.  I couldn't lie to her and say there was no way to feed on her safely, but if she saw that there was a way, there was no telling how far she would go to keep me sustained.  I had no idea.  Perhaps I should just ask her and let her decide, as she should have the right to do.  She would say the blame wasn't entirely mine if I let her decide, but I knew it would be.  The blame for everything was entirely mine.

**************************************************************************************************

another short chapter... what can i say, i wrote it awhile ago.  Chapter 12 is nice and long, and i'm trying to make the subsequent ones that way as well.

guess what?  I had a dream about aoshi and misao... shows how into this story i'm getting (yes, aoshi is in it later).  They were just a bit younger than they are in rk, and they had just met (not accurate, but...).  aoshi actually TOLD misao to call him "lord aoshi" in the dream, and she was like, YEAH, RIGHT.  So, later, she called him "milord" all sarcastic like, he laughed, and she started calling him "lord" as an inside joke.  There was also something about a suspicious murder involving the Oniwabanshuu, but i don't remember that part too clearly...

The-Great-Monk-Grl: thank you!  I'm very flattered, and if you would like tips or advice, i'm available at jesujoy7@yahoo.com.

Houndingwolf: thank you.  I'm a kaoru fan, but i really like tomoe better.  Emotionless ppl fascinate me, so maybe that's y i like her so much.

Maeve Riannon: thought you'd like that about katsura.  I was scared to death he'd be OOC.  Is he?  Yes, hiko knows everything before kenshin... kind of frustrating for him, i would think.  I understand about using too many Japanese words.  I thought it would seem more authentic that way, but if it bothers people, i'll quit.  I assumed if people didn't understand, they'd ask me.

Yuhi-thedoerofevildeeds: yes, he bit her.  It bled the same amount a prick would usually bleed after he was finished sucking it out.  does that answer?


	12. A Slight Accident

**The Sacred Night, Chapter 11**

****

"That's amazing!"  Misao shouted.  "How can we do it?"

"Wait, Misao-dono," I requested calmly, "there's a drawback,"

"A drawback?"

"Hai.  If I bind you to myself, you will not age normally for a long time,"

"You mean I'll get old faster or something?"

"Actually, you'll age more slowly, like I do.  Until I die, you'll be almost immortal," I informed her solemnly.

I was somewhat taken aback when she began laughing loudly, and tried to stifle it after a moment, so as not to wake anyone.  "Immortality?  That's the terrible side effect?  Jeez, you really are out of touch with humanity,"

"It doesn't bother you?"

"Of course not!  Every human wants to be immortal!  Explorers have looked for the secret to it all over the world,"

"Hai, but that was a secret that could be shared with anyone and used by anyone.  This way it has to stay secret,"

"How on Earth am I going to hide it?  I'll look nineteen when I'm sixty!"

"That is exactly the drawback.  You will have to travel with me so that no one group of people sees you too long, or they will notice your perpetual youth and try to figure out why you have it,"

"I see.  I'll have to leave my family..." she looked down, seeming to have an internal struggle.  "I can accept that," she announced finally.

"You don't seem to accept it," I observed, leaning closer to examine her expression.

"I will.  Just give me time to say goodbye,"

"Misao-dono, you realize you don't have to do this for me, don't you?"

"Hai, I do.  If I don't, it's the same as if I murdered you,"

"Iye.  I could live by killing you if I chose, but I won't,"

"That would be suicide, then.  If I don't do this, one of us will die.  It's the only way to preserve both of us," she finished.

"Misao-dono, you told me I should not commit suicide so others could live.  You should not have to give up your life as you know it just so one undead thing can exist.  I'm not even human," I explained tenderly, trying to help her understand that I wouldn't be hurt if she refused to allow me to bind her to myself.

"If I don't do this, then you will do exactly what I told you not to do because of me.  Don't worry; it's not as if I'm dying... I'm old enough to move out now, anyway.  I should leave," she told herself more than she told me.

"Take a few days to think about it.  If you still want to do this three days from now, come here and we'll do it.  Until then, just do everything as usual," I instructed.  She nodded silently and left to think.

Three days later, she came to my room as always, but for an entirely different purpose.  I had already explained the process to her, and it wasn't too shocking in light of what had transpired already.  She was prepared to allow me to bind her so that we could both continue existing, and she came in bearing a bowl and a pitcher of water.  She sat in front of me, put the things down between us, and looked at me, waiting.

"We have to bleed in equal amounts, so we'll just start and stop at the same time, ok?"  I said, looking for her approval.  She nodded and poised her trusty kunai over her wrist.  I just used my teeth- my sword would have created too big a wound and Misao would have lost too much blood to even out the amounts.  We both held our bleeding arms over the bowl, and my cut began to close almost instantly.  The flow of blood got smaller and smaller, while Misao's remained constant.  I wondered if that warranted my bleeding more into the bowl to make the amounts even, or if that was too high a risk of changing Misao.  When my wound closed, Misao pulled her wrist away from the bowl and wrapped a piece of cloth around it to stop the bleeding.  I simply reopened mine and began bleeding again, but Misao looked at me, confused.

"I didn't bleed as much as you did," I explained, and she nodded to show she understood.  I bled until my wound closed again, which was only a matter of seconds.  I hoped I hadn't put in too much, because if I had, Misao would no longer be human soon.  She began to pour the water in and stopped when we could not only see our distorted reflections, but the bottom of the bowl as well.  I added another drop, hoping to counteract my extra blood, in the event that it was a bit too much.

Misao didn't question that action, I suppose assuming that I couldn't see the bottom yet as she could.  I moved the bowl around a bit to stir the contents, since the liquid was several inches from the rim and there was not much danger of spilling it.  I lifted the bowl slightly higher than necessary in a toasting gesture, then down to drink from it.  After I had consumed a modest amount of the translucent, red mixture, I handed the bowl to Misao.  The taste wasn't bad for me, but Misao apparently enjoyed it more, because she took a long drink.  I was afraid she had taken too much, but I had warned her of the risk and it would do no good to scare her now that it was done unless I found out that she had, indeed, changed.

"Good?"  I asked jokingly.

"Surprisingly... yes," she answered.  I was a little disturbed by that, because blood never tasted so good as when one was first changed.  It was fairly good as blood went, though, because mine was mixed in with it, giving it an intoxicating effect.  Since I'd fed recently, my blood even contained ki, which was the only part that tasted good.  The water should have dampened that, though.  I didn't answer, only collected the things and started toward the kitchens, where they could be washed in the morning.  I simply lay them in a sink, not bothering to pour out the contents of either.  I returned to find Misao waiting at my door, we said goodnight, and went to our separate rooms.

In the morning, I went to the kitchens to help with some chores before I went to sleep, and dishes were what I happened to start first.  I noticed that the bowl was completely empty, but not clean.  I was nervous about that, but I told myself someone had simply come by earlier and poured it out because they didn't want it to get mildewy, but the water pitcher was still full when I began to wash it.  Either someone had poured out the red mixture and not seen the pitcher, or my fears had been realized.

I immediately went to find Misao and make sure, if for no other reason than to quiet my suspicions so I could stop worrying.  She was just coming out of her room, and I walked up to her and tilted her face upward with my hand to look at it properly.  Omasu gave us an uncomfortable smile, and I suddenly remembered what we had told her about our relationship.  Apparently, she had been true to her word and not told anyone, because no one else had ever acted that way.  Anyone else passing in the halls now only looked at us strangely.

I examined Misao's ki thoroughly, and lastly checked in her mouth to confirm my conclusion.  Two long, white, shining fangs hung from behind her top lip.  She looked worried as well, and I released her face to give her a sad look.  I nodded, knowing exactly what question she would ask momentarily, and then felt a hand on my shoulder from a third, invisible person.

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yay, you have to wait and find out who knows the secret now!  Like the twist?

Laurika: glad the chapter was packed, but as i said, chapters are longer further down the line.  Glad this is getting good, and i will update very soon.  Yes, he turned his hair black.  Glad you like the part with katsura, and i adore hiko as well.

Maeve Riannon: thank you.  I'm glad i got katsura right, and the situation with tomoe is very sad.  The binding idea came from Amelia Atwater Rhodes' novels, but i modified it.  They live hundreds, even thousands of years.  Theoretically, they could live until they aged enough to appear about a hundred, which would take different amounts of time depending on how old they were when they changed, but none of them have ever made it that long without getting staked or something.

PraiseDivineMercy: yay, angst!  Yes, such a tragedy with tomoe... kaoru eventually will, but not in this time period.  Yes, i thought katsura was a good person to choose since he did sort of begin kenshin's life on the path it took... and hiko is a calm person, i think.  Besides, he's had 15 years to make his peace with it and realize neither he nor kenshin can do anything about it.

Yuhi-thedoerofevildeeds: yes, binding.  You like aoshi?  He'll be along soon, before kaoru even.


	13. No More Secrets

**The Sacred Night, Chapter 12**

"So, Himura-san, it's true," Okina observed, walking around me to face both of us.

"Sir?"

"You're a vampire, and now you've made Misao-chan one as well, correct?"

"Hai," I answered, hanging my head.  "How did you know?"  I asked after a moment.

"Surely you didn't expect me to believe you two were lovers?  The girls told me that was what they thought, and while I don't know you all that well, Himura-san, I know my Misao," he gave her a meaningful look and she hung her head.  "She would never betray her Aoshi-sama with another man," he finished, smiling momentarily.  She looked up at the mention of her beloved.  I had not known she was that serious about the man.  Were _they lovers?  "Besides, I just saw her fangs, and while I've never seen yours, Himura-san, you are the only person here who could have changed her.  I have wondered for awhile what your strange ki meant, and this is the obvious answer,"_

"I see.  I-I'll leave you now," I said, not waiting for him to order me out, as he inevitably would if I gave him the chance.  In my place, a tiny red salamander began to scurry toward the door, but I was suddenly scooped up in the mouth of a small bird.

_You're not leaving me now,_ a female voice said in my mind.  _Change back._

_You heard your guardian.  I can't stay here, and I'm not sure you can, either._

_He didn't say that.  He may have rejected you before, but now that I'm one as well, he'll have to let us stay.  I'm family._

_All right.  We'll at least talk to him, but you don't know how people can be when they find out about this sort of thing.  I've seen it._

_That's all I ask._

The two animals were gone and in their places stood Misao and I.  Okina still stood where he'd been, looking at us calmly.  Many humans would not be so calm after seeing two normal looking teenagers change into animals in their own houses.  He walked slowly and deliberately toward us and spoke as evenly.

"I was prepared to welcome you into this household in spite of your... nature, Himura-san, since you have been kind to us and have never attempted to hurt anyone here, however I cannot approve of your changing Misao-chan as well,"

"Gomen nasai, Okina-san," I replied quietly.

"Aren't you going to explain?"  Misao turned from me to her guardian.  "It was an accident.  You saw how sad he was when he discovered that I'd changed, didn't you?  He was just trying to bind... to do this thing where I would be immortal and he could feed on me without hurting me and I would still be human..." she explained, examining her guardian for some sign that he believed her.

"Is this true, Himura-san?"

"I'm your _family_ and you're asking _him_ if I'm telling the truth?"

"Hai, Okina-san," I answered.

"You would take her from her family to live in secret, I presume?"

"H-Hai,"

"I made that decision, Gramps!  He was really reluctant to do it, and after I said yes, he made me wait three days to think about it before he would do it!"

"And now?  What are your plans?"

"Misao-dono wishes to stay here, though I doubted we would be allowed,"

"And you could hide your 'immortality' somehow, I take it?"

"Hai,"

"And you will need humans on which to prey, correct?"

"Hai, Misao-dono will,"

"And yourself?"

"I'll be fine.  I can leave here and you never have to see me again,"

"Will Misao-chan be able to do this process she mentioned in which she can prey on a human without harming him?"

"Hai.  She knows how already,"

"Then you are free to leave if that's your wish," he dismissed and began to walk away.

I just stared dumbly, amazed that he was going to let both of us stay, and Misao didn't seem surprised at all- just happy.

Shortly after that, I got the opportunity to meet the man Misao had talked about so enthusiastically.  Aoshi retuned to the Aoiya in the night and the next day, the only evidence of his presence was a nearly drained Okina.  He had to be treated by a doctor, but he eventually came through.  I knew Aoshi's secret.

I followed him that very night to where he was apparently staying.  There were a few other vampires there, and one bound human.  The human was a woman and the vampires were all male.  Aoshi didn't socialize with the others much, just went to his own room.  I slithered along the floor, assuming that with so many humanoids about, the small, soft body of a salamander would be in too much danger.  I was a lizard partly because of this, and partly because when other vampires were about, extra protection was always in order.

In this form, my ki could still be read, so I had to stay in the shadows and not give them any reason to attempt reading it.  I passed several rooms that housed vampires involved in different activities.  Some trained with human weapons, some meditated, and one heavily bandaged vampire was feeding on the woman.  I didn't know what could have done enough damage to a vampire for him to require that many bandages, but I didn't want to find out.  I passed by, wanting only to find Aoshi and help any way I could.  Misao wanted him back and didn't know he was like us.  Okina had been injured.  Aoshi himself was very likely in a lot of turmoil, and needed to know his family would still accept him.

Once inside his room, I abandoned my secretiveness- I couldn't have a conversation with him without showing my presence.  I walked out into the dim light, still a lizard, and waited for him to read my ki.  He apparently recognized me, and walked out to the middle of the floor where I was.  I stood to my full humanoid height and still had to look up at a considerable angle to look the man in the eye.

"Battousai," was all he said.  That name harked back to a time when I was not only a ruthless vampire, but also made extensive use of my skill in human combat methods.  It had been a sort of trademark, if you will.

"Shinomori Aoshi, I have a message for you," I announced calmly.

"Who commands such authority as to use you as a messenger?"

"The message is from me.  Your family and Misao-dono want you to come home,"

"Really?  I don't know which is more surprising, that you know Misao or that you said that knowing why I cannot go back to her,"

"There is more you don't know.  Misao-dono is one of our kind now," his eyes narrowed.

"You changed her?"  He stepped toward me threateningly, protective of one who was not even there.

"Hai, but I was only trying to bind her and it went wrong.  She was willing," he nodded and relaxed.  "I can see you care about her, then,"

"Hai.  I can't bring her into this, though..."

"Don't.  Just go home.  Okina-san knows what we are and has allowed us to stay.  Everyone there needs you back,"

"I can't do that.  They're humans- humans do nothing but oppress us.  We are stronger than they are, but we hide from them.  They make us ashamed of what we are.  I can't go back to them,"

"That's not true.  I'm a vampire, and they've accepted me.  They've accepted Misao-dono, and we don't feed on them,"

"Vampires like that are weak,"

"Am I weak?"

"If you live harmoniously with humans, yes,"

"You're wrong,"

"Prove it," he drew a sword.

"I don't want to fight you, Shinomori-san,"

"I will never accept humans unless you prove to me that I should," he replied, not moving his sword an inch.

"With human weapons?"

He narrowed his eyes disdainfully and threw his sword aside, along with another that had been concealed.  I had not meant that we should fight hand to hand- I was trying to avoid a fight altogether. I suppose he took it another way, though, because he was advancing, apparently weaponless. He suddenly disappeared, and I was surrounded by Aoshi.  I turned, trying to follow his motions and hopefully block them, but suddenly out of nowhere, a kick landed squarely on my jaw.  My body spun away from him and he surrounded me again.  I cursed my wording- I would never have knowingly consented to a hand to hand fight.  My skill was with the sword, and worse, it seemed my opponent had the knowledge I lacked.  He was Misao's leader, and she had assured me she could fight also.  I began to understand the purpose of this organization to which they belonged better.

He was baiting me.  He stayed in the eye-crossing pattern of movement for a moment longer, and I decided to take a shot.  I couldn't tell where he was at any one moment by looking, so I aimed a kick at an afterimage and carried it through an entire circle around myself.  This experiment failed, however, and my blow just went through several ghostlike Aoshis.  He had the perfectly silent grace of a ninja.  From somewhere in the room, I heard his voice calmly mocking my futile attempt, and I almost got dizzy.

The combination of the blurred movements and the sound moving around me made me slightly nauseous, worsened by the fact that the sound was coming from a completely different place than where it appeared it should be.  I squeezed my eyes shut for only a second, knowing I would recieve a blow for it, but needing to clear my brain even more than I needed to avoid the next hit.  I did, in fact, get a punch in the face while my eyes were closed, but I noticed something important.

When his hand made contact, his ki seemed to come from the space to my left, while from the angle of his punch, he was clearly in front of me.  Apparently, not only were my eyes and ears too slow to tell me where he stood, so was my ability to read ki.  If I could block out the dizzying combination of blurry vision and distorted hearing, though, perhaps I could get an accurate sense of his position by reading his ki and adding a quarter turn to it.  Before I could implement this idea, however, a foot planted itself in the small of my back, nearly knocking me to the floor.

I pitched forward, but didn't fall, and I coughed a couple of times.  I suppose he thought I was finished there, because he didn't bother to circle me again before striking.  He stopped directly in front of me, and before his ki-image in my mind had passed my left side, I thrust the heel of my hand up under his chin, forcing his head up so he couldn't see what he was doing.  I avoided the blow he intended for me and landed one of my own at the same time.  He was momentarily off guard, and I punched a few more times, not caring for the shot in the dark that a kick would be for one such as me, not trained in unarmed combat.  I could soon see that a series of punches was not going to fell him, and if I didn't hurry, he was going to begin the nauseating flow of motion that had perplexed me from the beginning.  I aimed a kick at his side, and he staggered back a few paces, enough for me to deliver the blow that knocked him off his feet.

I stood still another moment, sure he would rise again and disappear, but he didn't.  He stayed there a moment, and when he did stand, it was slowly.  I was confused, but he seemed to consider the fight over, so I readily accepted that.  I was also confused by the fact that I'd won an unarmed fight without turning into a dragon, as I often did.  It didn't seem like it would help in this situation.  He walked to the corner where he'd cast his swords and put them back in their places under his long, white coat.

"I see," he said at length.  It was as if there had been no fight, and I'd just made a particularly interesting point in words.

"Will you go back to Misao-dono?"

"Misao.  I can't seem to think of her as one of us.  She's always been a child,"

"Perhaps you should see for yourself.  She was willing to let me bind her and to travel with me afterward, but now that she's been changed, she can stay at the Aoiya and she'll be able to hide what she is from most humans,"

He looked at me wryly when he said that- he must have tried the very same thing and found it unfruitful, as I had with my shishou.  "She won't be able to hide it from the Oniwabanshuu.  I will talk to her, though- perhaps she'll want to come with me," he smiled barely perceptibly at that last statement.  I was sure she would agree.

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Laurika: it is going to get more interesting.  Misao is sort of weird, though, so your comment is not entirely inaccurate... but though ken would look good with black hair i guess, red is just better.  I love red hair, and his is wonderful- it's the main basis of most girls' attraction for him, if you ask me.

Ms. Zeal: no, it would not work, for precisely the reasons you said, but also because vampire blood to a vampire is like junk food- it tastes better than human blood, but is not very nutritious.

Houndingwolf: yay!  Suspense is so much fun to write, though perhaps the readers hate me for it... lol.

Yuhi-thedoerofevildeeds:  one of your guesses was right, though i won't say which.

Cheesecake: cute name.  no, hiko has never been just a drunk, he's too smart for that.  Just ask him and he'll tell you himself, lol.  Ken would never kill himself in front of people, but i'm not planning on having him die at all, since I, you know, like him...  and yes i am VERY sure ken and misao will not be together in this fic.  I don't care for that pairing, and he is too old for her anyway.  Tomoe has already died, but he was with her at one time, and kaoru will be in the future.  Thanks for saying you likeys!


	14. A Most Unpleasant Surprise

**The Sacred Night, Chapter 13**

The sun disappeared behind the Tokyo skyline, obscuring the busy streets from its light.  I began to open my eyes, seeing only the last vestiges of the shine through my window, the only sunlight I was ever allowed to feel.  I wished sometimes that I could live in the light again, but of all the things that changed in me when I was changed, this was the least.  I had grown to like the night- it wasn't as if I had never seen the sun.  I had been alive once.

I rolled over to greet my wife, who was still sleeping next to me.  It was rather late for her to be in bed, since she was human and didn't need the full fourteen hours of daylight to sleep, but I supposed she could have stayed up later than usual the previous night.  I myself never saw her go to sleep, since I could not stay awake after dawn no matter what I did, and as a human, it took her a bit to fall asleep after we lay down.  Maybe she had remembered some neglected task and gotten up, or maybe she hadn't been able to sleep.

She was still asleep, and very deeply if the amount of movement she made was any indication.  I must still have been groggy myself, since for some reason, her ki was not becoming apparent to me yet.  I decided to let her sleep awhile longer, since she must have had a hard night last night or a hard day just now to sleep this long on her own.  I got out of the futon and dressed, and then started to leave the room when a bright color caught my eye.  There was blood on her face.

I crossed to her side of the bed quickly to investigate, and saw perhaps the worst thing I could ever see on her- a cross, carved into her flesh by a knife.  That scar was too dirty to touch her.  It was the emblem of my evil, my scarlet letter.  She should never bear it, but there it was.  Had she done this herself?  Why, unless I had somehow made her unhappy, would she take my mark upon herself?  If that weren't the case, someone else had mutilated her to try to make a point- that she was guilty by association, or something of that nature.

I cursed myself for not being awake to protect her when someone invaded our home, but knew the only thing I could do about it after the fact was to talk to her and, in the event she had done it herself, reassure her that she didn't have to feel bad and that I could leave if that was what she wanted.  I bent down to shake her awake gently, but she didn't stir.  I strained to feel her ki, but failed.  A nervous fear grew inside me and I tried to push it away, telling myself she was not dead and could not be dead.

I rolled her onto her back and saw her eyes open, fishlike, staring emptily straight ahead forevermore.  I closed them and covered her body with the blankets that had not kept her warm, and my hands that had not kept her safe.  I didn't have anywhere to go, and thus there was no one to inform that I wouldn't be there.  Her employer, however, would be expecting her eventually, and it would not do to have her coworkers thinking badly of her because she was not present.  I used the phone to relay the information, since humans generally didn't take telepathic communiqués seriously, but I would use the simpler and cheaper way when notifying our vampire and bound friends.

Thankfully, there were not many details to tie up during the long period of mourning that I had just entered.  Her employer had been seen to, and she did not have very many connections other than that to the human world.  Her job had supported only her and the few modern conveniences of our house, since the vast majority of things had been paid in full long ago.  A coroner would not be necessary, since she had probably been presumed dead back in the eighteen hundreds by any who may have known her before I did.  She hadn't had any living relatives to leave behind, and had had only a few friends closer than casual acquaintances.  A coroner would probably not believe her basic information anyway:

_"Hello, Sir, my wife died today and I need your services,"_

_"All right.  Name?"_

_"Himura Kaoru."_

_"Date of birth?"_

_"June 28, 1861,"_

_"Listen, kid, prank calls are rude, and this is no place for that anyway.  There are dead people here, show some respect,"_

_"This isn't a prank, Sir; she turned 103 last month,"_

_"You sound awfully young to have a wife over a hundred years old,"_

_"Did I say my wife?  I meant my, uh, mother..."_

Yes, I could just picture that conversation, and it wasn't going to happen.  We would simply have a private funeral and dispose of the body ourselves.  I would go back to existing alone, or maybe I would just die as I'd planned so long ago.  I didn't know.  It didn't really matter yet.  I didn't feel like feeding, so I wouldn't bother to find a donor until I got hungry, which might be never.  I had not fed on anyone other than my Kaoru in such a long time that I felt I would be cheating on her to do so.

Many vampires, when feeding, would be doing things that would constitute cheating, especially younger ones- say, under 100.  I, though, had been and would be loyal to my wife if and when I ever decided to feed on someone else.  It would be purely feeding, nothing more.  For some reason, humans of late had acquired a rather sexual view of vampires, and would offer themselves as prey.  Most vampires were very obliging when it came to this.  Even older ones usually would not say no to an offer, but recently changed vampires made a bigger deal of it.

In any case, I would not be doing any feeding for awhile in all likelihood, assuming I ever felt like it again.  At this point, I was torn between wanting to find her killer and ask him or her why and wanting to crawl back in bed and never come out.  Needing something at least mildly constructive to do, I chose the former.  I went back into our bedroom and looked over the area immediately surrounding her body.  I didn't see anything that would provide insight, and after only a few moments, I did crawl back in beside her.

I did not move for quite some time, and during that time, I held her and relived every minute of the last one hundred twenty five hears we had spent together.  After awhile, my body even warmed her enough that I could convince myself that she was only sleeping, except for the frightening lack of movement.  I stroked her soft black hair, spilling over her neck and in front of my face.  I hugged her as close to myself as I could have without hurting her, had she been...

I almost wished the sun's rays were as harmful to me as many humans believed, because my window was wide open and dawn was only a matter of time.  I made no effort to stand up, to speak, or to notice anything other than her.  I kept straining to feel ki coming from the spot next to me, and almost succeeded in convincing myself I could, but not quite.  I knew too well what had happened.  Slayers often hurt bound humans to get to the vampires to which they were connected, rationalizing that they were not fully human anymore, that they had made agreements with demons.  I was her demon.

It was kind of strange, really.  Slayers were becoming fewer and fewer as fewer humans believed in our existence, but the slayers that did persevere were becoming more and more outlandish.  They adopted more brutal methods as time went on, and had now resorted to killing their own kind to get to my kind.  If I found this killer, maybe I could convince him or her that it was wrong, that it hadn't accomplished anything, that she didn't deserve punishment for my sins.  Maybe I could let him or her slay me and then the slayers would realize they were causing trouble instead of fixing it.  Maybe pigs would fly soon.

I ran out of thoughts eventually.  I had caressed every memory, cursed every party who could be blamed, and rejected every plan for rectifying the situation.  A silent ache settled over me, and I lay awake in the darkness, sometimes trembling with the impatient hurt inside me.  It threatened to explode out of me, though I couldn't think what it would do once free.  It compelled me to do something, if only turning over furniture and throwing glassware.  I felt it tear me apart, goading me to do anything, but at the same time to stay right where I was, glued to her side, and never move.

I knew I would have to arrange her funeral and inform her friends of her death sometime, so that was my chosen activity for the moment.  I sensed several vampires and bound humans in the area, and picked out the ones who had known my wife.  _Shinomori-san, Kaoru-dono has... been... has... passed on.  Her funeral will be soon... I have to arrange it.  Misao-dono, Kaoru-dono has... p-passed away.  Sano, Kaoru-dono has passed away, please come help me... arrange her funeral..._

A flood of responses expressing condolences came into my head as I continued telling people, stumbling over words less and less each time.  I heard the voices of my friends and some I hadn't even known, but only Kaoru had.  It was strangely comforting to hear all those voices while I was alone in the house.  I felt their presence almost as if they'd been right there, and was glad I hadn't simply sent them all postcards or something like that.  As if to confirm this, three people materialized in my living room momentarily.

Sanosuke and Aoshi didn't say anything or move immediately, but Misao walked over to where I sat and put her hand on my shoulder.  I didn't really care to be touched at the moment, but I knew the gesture was well-intended, so I allowed it.  I held my head in my hand, and the two men walked to me silently, not touching me or involving themselves in any way, politely waiting to be asked to speak.  After a period of silence, I sat back and began on practical details.  It was past midnight already, I had spent so long mourning privately.

"I can't give her an expensive funeral as she deserves, so I at least want all of her friends to be there.  I've told all the vampires and bound humans I could think of, but there are some other humans, ones who didn't know she was bound.  I don't know who they were, so I can't find them..."

"We'll help.  Her boss would know the people she worked with," Misao offered.  I nodded.  It made sense.

"I don't know anywhere else she would know that kind of people except the ones who live in your building," Sano added.  "Would you know them?"

"She didn't associate with the other people in the building.  She resented it that they always said we were strange people.  Her work friends didn't think so, since they didn't know me and they just saw that she worked at night, but so did they..." I was babbling.  "She would always say the people in the building were stuck up... she hated it when people acted superior.  She never did that, she was so sweet and gentle..."

They tolerated my rabble and were very patient with me, so we eventually got the details of the funeral worked out.  As I had wanted, a lot of people came to pay their respects to a woman the humans called "wise beyond her years," thinking her only twenty or so years old.  I left soon after the proceedings started, though, unable to control my emotions.  I went home and slept.  I couldn't really do anything else, and didn't really want to anyway.  I had lost every desire to live and every sense of caring what happened to me.  I began to think that maybe I would just slowly wind down until I died.

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yes, you just read what you think you did.  Be not disheartened- you will not be disappointed when you see where I'm going with this, if you haven't figured it out yet.

The-Great-Monk-Grl: i update fast because i had a few chapters written ahead of time, so i was always posting something i wrote over a week ago, though now i'm sort of behind on that...

PraiseDivineMercy: i think aoshi makes an excellent vamp.  Misao is one, yes, but i don't think it's tragic.  I like vamps!  And i didn't originally mean for a hand to hand fight to happen, but he didn't have his sword, and it wouldn't be right for aoshi to be armed and not him.

Cattibrie393: thanks, i like the salamander, too.  It's sort of like a lizard, which is the closest i could come to a dragon, but not really a lizard.  Thanks for saying i did a good job.  Shishio's lover's name is Yumi.

Unique-starfish: glad you like aoshi and the story.  Aoshi makes an excellent vamp, ne?  You mean you're grounded from ff.net just because you didn't tell your mom about it?  That's silly... my parents are thrilled that i like to write, and they don't really know or care what it's about.  Don't get yourself in trouble, though.

Cheesecake: oh ok, i thought you might have been kidding, but wasn't sure.  There will probably be some fighting relatively soon, but not with aoshi.

Maeve Riannon: hope you weren't disappointed.  You'll find out more about Aoshi's and Misao's arrangements later.

Yuhi-thedoerofevildeeds: if you are psychic, tell me what i should write next, lol...

Chibi-Yuushi: so sorry you were banned... i feel your pain!  Okina has suspected for a long time, and he's not one for showing anger, so that's why he's so calm.  Glad you liked the fight scene.  I thought an unarmed fight would be original, and plus i had neglected to realize until it was too late that a salamander cannot carry a sword... *blushes* thank you for saying i'm so good... really i think you're awesome and i'm really dying here waiting for more RtK... and as for Hannya and the others, they died in Tokyo as per the manga... i may put more explanation of that later, but i may not.  Glad you liked my take on hiko and katsura.  I find them both fascinating and underused, and most people do use hiko in absurd situations.  i like to probe more into his actual character, not just the funny things about him.


	15. A Most Pleasant Surprise

**The Sacred Night, Chapter 14**

****

I slept a lot.  I was disoriented and just looked up at my ceiling, making no effort to figure things out.  I stayed in the too-large futon that had been made for two people and ruminated over the circumstances surrounding my sudden aloneness in it.  I eventually closed the window, preferring the darkness.  I lost all sense of time, since it was always dark in the little room and I slept even during the night, in addition to the day.  I didn't feed or answer anyone who tried to speak with me mentally, and generally never left my futon.

Eventually, my friends began to worry, and after fruitless efforts to communicate, they finally came to visit me personally.  First it was just Sano, but them Aoshi and Misao began to come, and even others after that.  Bound humans came eventually, too, and it was a good thing I'd left my door unlocked, since they would have been waiting outside for a very long time if I hadn't.  The fifty year old man that Misao had bound, who of course appeared to be no more than twenty two, came to see me once, since he was good friends with Aoshi and Misao, and I had begun to foster friendship with him.

"Jou-chan's been gone for more than a week," Sanosuke rationalized on one such visit.  He was especially close with both of us, even closer than Aoshi and Misao, though we had not known him as long.  He was just more of a people-person, I guess.  "You can't stay like this forever,"

"No more, I'm tired," I answered, trying to frustrate him into leaving.

"You can't be tired.  It's nighttime,"

"No more, I'm tired," I repeated.

"Stop it with that already!  You're not tired, you're depressed, and you gotta get better.  You'll die if you don't feed,"

"No more, I'm tired,"

"How d'you think everyone will feel if you die?  If you can't get motivated by caring about your life, at least care about them,"

I didn't reply to that.

"Jou-chan wouldn't have wanted you to be like this.  She'd want to you to live and be happy, just like what you told 'er her father would want for her when she wanted to go after that guy who was killing people around here when you met her,"

"_No more_, Sano, I'm _tired_,"

He eventually left, but didn't give up.  They all came periodically and tried to motivate me to get up and feed, assuring me that they could find a bound human very willing to let me feed without doing anything that might be disloyal to my wife's memory, but they didn't understand.  I didn't want to feed and didn't care at that point if I died.  I simply didn't want to do anything.  I wouldn't.

Once, though, a unique message came rather than tired admonishments to feed.  Aoshi, Misao, and Sano all came together and said they had good news for me.  I didn't care, didn't even bother to reply, since no news except that Kaoru was alive could be good for me.  Imagine my shock when I found out what news they had.

"Your wife is not dead," Aoshi said calmly.

"Excuse me?"

"A slayer has her on an island off the coast.  The body you found was a well-made facsimile," he explained.

"She was... kidnapped?  Why?"

"The slayers wanted to get to you, but they apparently didn't kill her for some reason, so he just made you suffer without killing her.  Typical old-school slayer talk- don't hurt the superior race, and all that,"

"So... this slayer... can I get her back?"

"We were hoping you would come with us to rescue her,"

I stood for the first time in awhile and opened my window to look out on Tokyo.  It looked the same as it had for awhile now, though considerably different from the first time I'd seen it.  I wanted to leave immediately, since I had no other engagements or priorities, but the others told me everything wasn't quite ready.  They still had to feed, and advised me to do so as well, knowing that slayers' usual stubbornness about these things would probably lead to a fight of some sort, but I refused.  If I had been unwilling before, I was adamant now that I knew she was alive- I would not break our special bond.

Misao hadn't spoken the whole time the three of them were in my house.  I had never known her not speak, under any circumstances.  I couldn't tell what she was thinking, but something was clearly wrong.  When she left with the others to feed, I tried to ask her to stay and talk to me a minute, but she just shrugged me off and was gone.  It was difficult for me to focus much on that, since my relief at Kaoru's being alive overshadowed everything at the moment, and I forgot all about it while I tried to imagine what these slayers would say and wondered if I would have to fight to rescue my wife, or simply go in and retrieve her secretly.

Soon, all four of us were back in my living room, ready to leave.  Only Aoshi and Misao knew where this unnamed island was, so they went first and Sano and I sensed them and followed.  I was surprised not to see anything except forest when I arrived.  There was dense vegetation through which we made our way agonizingly slowly, never seeing or sensing anything other than animals.  I was beginning to think we were in the wrong place, or perhaps that these slayers were cruelly making my Kaoru sleep outside.  I liked them less and less as time continued.

Eventually a very tall, gray building came into view above the treetops, and it appeared to have large, darkly tinted windows.  I sensed only two people, both bound humans, inside.  It followed that one of them would be Kaoru, but how many had the slayers captured?  More importantly, why weren't they guarded and where were the slayers?  Could they mask their ki?

None of us spoke, but I noticed that Misao seemed distracted again.  She was following Aoshi without trouble, but not looking at him.  Misao _definitely_ never refused to look at her Aoshi-sama, as she had continued to call him adoringly even after they were married.  I suddenly remembered her behavior at my house and made a note to try to talk to her later.

We reached the building and dispensed with the formality of doors.  There was not one in our immediate view, so a casual observer would have simply seen us vanish.  We were considerably closer to the two humans, both of whom were now on a small balcony at the back of the building.  One of the humans was looking out on the sea in despair, or so his ki would seem to indicate, and the other, my mind rejoiced, was Kaoru.  She seemed to be in a very hostile state of mind, however, stalking toward the man.

Why was my wife stalking someone?  She didn't just attack people mindlessly, so she must have been angered, since this man didn't seem to be an obstacle to any escape she may have been attempting.  WHAT HAD THEY DONE TO HER?  I was, to say the least, not happy.  As we neared them, I could hear the young-seeming man talking to himself sadly and desperately, not paying any attention to Kaoru or even seeming to sense her.  She crept closer and closer to him, armed only with a sizable vase, presumably to knock him out.  How very like her.

At the very last second, the man turned and knocked her to the ground, shattering the vase, with the strangest sword I had ever seen, and I had seen many.  It wasn't strange for vampires or bound humans to use archaic weapons from whatever time period we had been born, but this one seemed to be a hybrid that was part katana, part some very old Chinese design, and incredibly long.  He held it to her throat for a long moment, but crumpled with cries of anguish, never hurting her.  I was halfway to them by that time, but stopped when I saw him go into hysterics and begin speaking to a ghost only he could see.  I was turning away from him to run to my wife when I heard him utter a name I recognized.

"Don't look at me that way, Tomoe, I didn't hurt her... I couldn't because she reminds me of you... smile, please... smile..."

I was speechless.  I didn't think it was likely he was thinking of the same Tomoe as I was, but it was unnerving all the same.  My first wife had almost never smiled and he begged a woman by her name to do so, but the fact that my present wife reminded him of her compounded the bizarre effect it had on me.  If I'd been carrying anything at that moment, I'd have dropped it, he'd have heard, and I'd have had that interesting sword through my heart, but thankfully, my hands were empty.

Kaoru didn't need time to recover from the sight, and was upon me before I'd registered movement.  It was wonderful to feel her embrace me after the past couple of weeks we had both had, but she hadn't had the presence of mind to come quietly, and the white haired lad turned to see why she was shouting a strange man's name.  He stood and turned toward us, giving the four of us vampires our first good look.  He was very tall and rather muscular, wearing small, round sunglasses that reminded me of a very popular musician from a few decades before... John something.

"Ah, so you've come to rescue the lady, finally," he readied his sword, "now give me what I want,"

"I must confess, I'm not entirely sure what you want.  You have kidnapped my wife seemingly to get me to come here and fight you, but I cannot think of any reason you would want to fight with me.  You are clearly not a vampire hunter, since you are bound, and it can't be personal, since I'm sure we have never met,"

"Let me enlighten you.  You are wrong in both of your conclusions.  I am a vampire hunter, bound because there are vampires allied with us," he paused a moment, allowing me to recover from that odd surprise before he continued, "This, however, is more than the simple fact that you are what you are- you are clearly not like other vampires.  My cause against you is personal, and I'll tell you about it.  One hundred thirty eight years ago, my sister was killed by a vampire,"

He had been talking about the same Tomoe I remembered the entire time.  I had never known much about her family, and she had not talked about them often.  I had assumed there was some painful thing she didn't want to bring up connected to them, so I hadn't asked, not wanting to dredge up painful memories.  Maybe she simply hadn't wanted to mention the fact that if her brother knew what she'd married, it didn't look good for either of us.

"She was a saint.  She would have allowed herself to be bound willingly, had that leech cared to ask, but instead, he simply took what life he could get out of her while she lasted.  He murdered her, and he murdered countless other people with his very existence.  I will give him my own justice if it i the last thing I do," he finished, waited a moment, and launched himself toward me.  My being weaponless didn't present that much of a problem, since he was human, but I was still uncomfortable fighting that way.

I sidestepped, pushing Kaoru in the opposite direction, away from the fight.  She had been trained to fight when she was alive, but she was also unarmed and human.  Besides, even though she could handle herself very well, I didn't want her to be in danger.  I just felt better this way.  He reacted more quickly than I expected, and turned to charge toward me without even stopping.  I jumped, aiming a kick at his shoulder on the way down, and in spite of the crack I heard, he continued to fight.

*********************************************************************************************************

YAY!  I love enishi!  Anybody who has read "Island Tiger" or "History Behind The History" should know that.  I think this fic is inspiring me to add to "Island Tiger."  On a different note, I'm going to change my screen name soon, so after I've told you a few more times to make sure you've got it, my new name will be Reversed.

NightRain2:  yes, i suppose that chapter was rushed, but as you said, not a big deal.  You are justified in being confused, but this chapter should have cleared it up.  I wasn't planning on showing how they met.  Yes, vamps that have that kind of scruples are rare, but i've seen them before.  In one series, there's even an organization of them- kind of a vampire PETA, if you will, because in those books, vamps do see humans a lot like how humans see animals.  That stuff about vamps that reproduce is interesting; i've never seen that before.  Yes, i know a few vamp haters, but i don't see vampires as murderers, necessarily, because they generally can figure out how to live without killing if they believe in that sort of thing.  I do think it's silly to make them sexual, though.  Thanks about the ki thing, but it just seemed natural to include it since vampires can generally sense auras.  I thought misao was a nice change from most authors making it all about kaoru.  I will stay in first person throughout.  I considered changing to Misao's pov for the scene where he first feeds on her, because he was supposed to be unconscious, but instead i made him semiconscious so it could be dreamlike.  It is more challenging to get all the info across with only one pov, though.  yes, chibi has a way of introducing things like that and making you curious... she told me about that disease before.

The Great-Monk-Grl: thank you!  I update on a schedule- Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays.  The reason this is late is because my father had to reinstall his ISP, so he made me get offline before I could post.

Cheesecake: yes, tomoe is dead... why would you think otherwise?

Laurika:  good heavens, no, he didn't kill her.  No, they weren't married until after he met misao.  Yes, kaoru and misao know each other.  No, this is not a memory except in the sense that the entire story is a memory because it's written in past tense. thank you!

Cattibrie393:  i would imagine this chapter cleared everything up.

Chibi Yuushi: i thought ppl would be a tad confused, but i didn't think it was that big a deal.  Continue and you will understand.  Yes, i think it is silly to make vamps so sexual- i mean they're DEAD for crying out loud.  In my interpretation, vamps cannot transform objects or other people, but your ideas about it are fascinating.  You know, you and Ry are so good at this, maybe you should be writing this story instead of me... and you are not disappointed by kaoru's situation in this chapter, i take it?  Perhaps some coroners would be interested, but most would not even believe him.  They would try to explain it with a strange disease, likely... *hint* lol.  If they're morbid enough to want to be coroners, though, who knows?

Yuhi-thedoerofevildeeds: does this chapter explain?  Read the revenge arc of the manga if you're still confused.


	16. Relief

**The Sacred Night, Chapter 15**

****

CRACK.  I ground my foot into his shoulder as I came down from my jump, but he wasn't deterred.  I also realized the crack came not just from his shoulder, but also from my ankle.  Certainly it hurt, but I knew any injury I sustained would be gone before this fight was over anyway.  He winced when he swung his sword, but had the same force as before.  I didn't feel that force, thankfully, but could see it in the speed and momentum of the swing.  I dodged through his attacks, getting in small hits in important places, but it was difficult to get to him at all without hurting him more than I intended.

He showed me that he could jump high, too, and actually got me from above once.  He took a chunk of flesh from my arm, but I didn't miss it long.  Even as it painfully grew together, I drove my knee into his stomach, both of us still in midair.  He tried to block me, but couldn't quite reach down far enough.  I knew there would be an advantage in being shorter than my opponent someday.

We landed close together, and I saw my opportunity to strike his face.  His nose suddenly bloomed red, but as I'd planned, it wasn't broken.  There was a distinct chance he could die if I did that, and I most certainly didn't want that.  He staggered back momentarily, and I waited.  I was ready to stop if he was, but he assumed a strange fighting stance again and came toward me.  He stayed oddly low, but I didn't have a problem with that.  I was, after all, oddly low myself by nature.  I waited to see what direction I should dodge, but there was no indication until he was upon me.  I was on the floor bleeding soon, and I heard a feminine scream from my left, only to have the room mostly obscured from my view by a body, also feminine.

"Get out of the way, girl.  I swear I'll kill you this time," I heard the man, my brother-in-law, say.

"I won't let you kill him.  I don't know all the details of what happened with your sister, but I know him and he is not a killer,"

"Kaoru-dono-" I interrupted to correct her.

"Let me finish," she said to me over her shoulder, and then turned back to the other man.  "He may have been one in the past, but not anymore.  If he didn't bind your sister, there must have been a reason.  Maybe she didn't want to be bound.  I know I was reluctant at first, but I chose what was most important to me.  Your sister probably didn't want to give up having a normal life while she could,"

I was amazed.  On the surface, my wife may have seemed childlike, but she was never further from that than when she was serious.  I was amazed by her maturity, but also by her willingness to defend my virtue when clearly no such thing existed.  I was still getting to know this woman I had spent over a hundred years loving.  Suddenly, I realized perhaps he was going to make good on his oath and kill her, because he was getting into position to attack her.  She was fully aware of this, I could see, because she began to tremble, but she stayed in place in front of me.

I pulled her down and away from his advancing weapon when it became apparent that she was not planning on moving and put myself between it and her.  I thought after a moment that this might not be enough, because he might still want to kill her, which he could still do with that incredibly long sword by stabbing straight through both of us at once.  I twisted around to deflect the blow somehow, but never got the opportunity.  Instead of a snarling, indignant avenger, I saw a cringing, distraught brother.

"No, Tomoe, I didn't hurt her!  I didn't hurt her, stop looking at me that way!"  He shouted, seemingly to no one.  I thought I had been traumatized by her death, but this guy was driven downright _insane.  _I stood up and walked toward him, devoid of violent intentions.

"Yukishiro-san," I called gently, not wanting to anger him into another fight.  Kaoru pulled on my arm and looked up questioningly, but I shook my head.  He deserved to know.  "You should know I did love your sister.  I didn't know at first that she would die from my feeding on her, and she figured it out before I did.  She stayed even after that, though, and I really think she was happy with me.  The reason I didn't bind her is... the reason is that I didn't know how at the time.  I know it's horrible reason, and she shouldn't have had to die because of it, but believe me when I say I never meant for that to happen,"

He knelt silently a moment, digesting the information.  After a moment a low sort of growl or moan started to come from his direction, and he screamed, "You murderer!" and swung his sword out at my legs, the only part of me within his field of vision.  I jumped to avoid it, and as I landed I began to wonder if I really shouldn't just let him kill me.  One would think that would appease him, but he didn't seem the type to let go easily.  He might just kill me and then go after Kaoru or Aoshi and Misao.  They could defend themselves, certainly, but for a human, he was really very good.  So far as I knew, being bound shouldn't have anything to do with it, but maybe it did enhance his abilities somewhat.

He came at me invigorated with fresh energy, no doubt supplied by hatred, but he swung so wildly in his hysteria that he was more dangerous to himself than to me.  I eventually succeeded in disarming him and we left, putting his sword where he would find it eventually, but not before he had calmed down.  As soon as I had put it down somewhere, we prepared to go home and realized there was a slight problem.  All four of us had come here using vampire methods, since we were all vampires, but now there were five of us.  Kaoru was human, and she would need a conventional human method to cross the water back to Tokyo, such as a boat.

"Uh... Aoshi-" I said just as Aoshi and Sano both disappeared.  Misao followed slightly behind them, still seemingly not herself, and I was left alone with my wife on a nearly deserted island.  Under other circumstances, I might not have been so anxious to leave, but given the possibility of my ex-brother-in-law coming out of his sanctuary for reasons other than a family reunion, I was not quite thrilled.

"Kaoru-dono, there's a problem," I began, "I was so anxious to come here and get you when I found out you were alive that I neglected to use a boat, meaning I sort of... don't have a way to get you home.  Don't worry, though, I can go get one and come back for you..."

"You aren't leaving me alone are you?"

"Well, I have to, if-" I couldn't finish my sentence, since it was interrupted by a piece of fruit, most likely from a nearby tree, connecting with my head.

"No!  Tell Shinomori-san and he can come get both of us, okay?"

"All right, Kaoru-dono, I can do that," I answered and sent a brief message via telepathy.  "He's coming now, that he is,"

"Okay," she answered, and began to walk around, looking at scenery while we waited.  "You know," she said after awhile, "Misao seems unusual today.  Do you know if there's something wrong?"

"No, but I have noticed her acting strangely a few times.  I tried to talk to her earlier and she ignored me,"

"Maybe I should try.  It could be a woman thing," I nodded my agreement and she went back to enjoying the scenery.  I couldn't help but watch her as she did so, she was such a beautiful and comforting sight I had never expected to see again.  Even considering all the bumps on my head that had never been there before I married her, she was a sweet, loving woman.  Though in my mind I knew her to be one hundred forty-four, she still looked every bit the nineteen year old girl I had met long ago, and had much the same innocent quality.  For all her age, her association with vampires, especially me, and her adverse experiences in life, she was the most positive person I knew.

As much as I was enjoying watching her, I was afraid to walk over to her and touch her, as I really wanted.  I was afraid my fingers would go right through her and I would cease to see her.  It was still a relatively new surprise that she was alive, and it was difficult to believe my mind was not playing tricks on me.  In case she really was not there, I didn't want to shatter the illusion.

I was just entertaining the thought of going to her anyway when I heard noise from the shore.  Water lapped at the edges of a skiff Aoshi was rowing across the water.  I would never know how Aoshi always managed to find things and people so quickly, but I didn't complain.  He and Misao got out of the boat to let Kaoru and me in, since only two people could really be accommodated comfortably.  It wasn't a problem for them, of course, since they could just leave as they had before.  Kaoru and I entered the small watercraft and got on our way home, noticing that Misao lagged slightly behind Aoshi yet again.

I myself didn't worry as much about Misao as Kaoru probably did, being still enchanted by Kaoru's presence after I thought she was dead, but I still worried about her.  Since Kaoru was going to talk to Misao, I thought perhaps I could ask Aoshi if something was amiss.  Surely he would know, or at least have some guess.  I didn't want to bother them yet, since they had already assisted us greatly by telling me where Kaoru was and showing me how to get there, so I decided to wait until the next time I saw Aoshi to ask.  I would see him soon any way, since the woman he had bound lived across the street from me and he would naturally have to feed.

When I did see him later the next night, it was around 3:30 am.  He was coming out of the woman's house and I was sitting on the small patio that opened off our living room.  He glanced up at me as if there was something he wanted to say, but looked down again and began to walk.  _Is something wrong, Aoshi?  _I asked so only he could hear.  

_I've been debating on telling you, but it seems like I have to now,_ he responded.  I waited for him to continue._  Someone's after Misao,_ he said finally.

_A slayer?_

_Probably.  She doesn't know yet._

_She doesn't?  I thought that might be why she was acting strangely earlier, but I don't suppose that makes sense anyway,_

_No, but she might suspect something herself.  She wouldn't be afraid, but maybe she only has part of the information and thinks something completely different is going on..._

_Like what?_

_She keeps asking me if I love her and if I am happy with our life.  Maybe she thinks I'm seeing another woman, I don't know._

Aoshi and I made our goodbyes and I went inside to talk to Kaoru, since I knew she was worried about Misao, and she seemed to have gathered some of her own information.

"I talked to Misao like I said I would earlier," she began as soon as I entered the room.  "Aoshi is seeing another woman,"

* * *

If I've been too late recently, it is NOT MY FAULT.  Ff.net has been messing up and not allowing me to post.

Chibi Yuushi: yes, the time gap... well, I suppose I could get to that... maybe this chapter gives a bit of insight, but there's definitely more in chapter 16 or so.  And yes, i adore enishi.  I don't recall anything about his eyes changing color, but i did think the hair thing was weird.  His eyes are turquoise or something like that, yes?  I don't know why they would change to that, but oh well... anyway; he does have to be very traumatized.  If you like him, maybe you'd enjoy my fic "Island Tiger" which is an anthology of enishi poems.  As for kaoru, well, a lot of things in this fic are based on the manga, but changed, so i thought it was kind of predictable, but glad to see it wasn't too obvious.  I couldn't kill her off before she was even properly in the story!  Glad you like my suspense and action... i'll try not to slack off on that, though my ideas for the future are not such that they would involve fight scenes, but they are good, i think.  Vamps as sex gods... oh, please.  That is so silly and you will not be seeing it here, no worries.  I try to stay a few chapters ahead as far as updating, so haste shouldn't be a problem.  Glad to hear my chapters are well thought out, though, because i was beginning to fear they were too hasty.

Backtalk: i actually thought changing her was a curveball and made the story more interesting, but if you disagree, go for it.  Don't worry, there will be plenty of humans in the future.

Maeve Riannon:  glad the revenge arc is fitting, but enishi is not a vamp.  He is bound to some unknown vamp.  If the time change is too abrupt, i'm sorry i guess, but i really like it.  I'm going to try to explain more later as to what went on during that time.  glad you liked my comment on john lennon, i was afraid some wouldn't get it.

Yuhi-thedoerofevildeeds: glad you're up to speed.  More is forthcoming!

Houndingwolf: glad you like enishi.   If this is confusing, I hope the next few chapters will clear it up.

Cheesecake:  no, tomoe is dead and kaoru is alive, I promise.  Hope you're up to speed.


	17. Disappointment

**Th Sacred Night, Chapter 16**

I drank the sweet substance my wife allowed me to take nightly for the third time since her internment in the lair of the hunter.  I drew it out hungrily, but made sure she didn't hurt for it.  That wasn't too difficult, considering no matter what I did, she probably wouldn't feel it unless I wanted her to do so, but I didn't want to injure her in any way that would last beyond my feeding.  She lay beside me in a pleasant embrace, not moving, but not totally limp, either.  She was in a perfectly fine state of health, but she didn't perceive where she truly was at the moment, compliments of my common vampiric abilities.

I had taken enough for one night, so I pulled away from her, releasing the mental charade and savoring the last drop.  She didn't look up at me immediately, but held her head a moment as if she was dizzy or had a headache.  This didn't usually happen to a bound person, so I was concerned she was hurt.  I realized only a second later that a subtle silver line had crept into her hair while I wasn't looking.  She was over one hundred forty years old, so a gray hair or two were excusable, but I worried all the same.

"Kaoru-dono, are you all right?  Did I take too much?"

"I don't know.  This has never happened before... it didn't seem very long, so I don't think... but I'm not supposed to get sick, right?"

"That's what my father said.  You've never been sick before now, have you?  Since we were married,"

"No, but don't worry.  It's passed now.  I feel fine," she smiled to assure me of the truth of her statement, but I wasn't convinced.

"I'll ask Aoshi about it," I finished noncommittally.

She frowned at my mention of Aoshi, because she still believed he was cheating on her friend.  I had not bothered to correct her when she brought it up, since he had not actually told me outright that he was not, but I had shared with her the fact that I really didn't think he was.  Misao was not a liar, to be sure, but she herself didn't know as much as I did about the situation according to Aoshi.  If he chose not to tell her for whatever reason, I respected his decision because it was not really my business unless I was asked to help and because I could understand the desire to let the woman one loves remain happy if there is any way of preserving it without danger to her.

I decided to visit a few people to inquire about this strange ailment that seemed to plague Kaoru in the meantime.  First, I chose the woman Aoshi had bound, partly because she was the closest of all the people likely to know what it was, and partly because if Aoshi knew about it and it had to do with bound humans, he had probably told her.  I wasn't flashy about it and just walked, never having been overly impressed with vampires' unique abilities.

"Sazuko-dono?  Are you busy?"  I asked when she opened the door for me.

"No, Himura-san.  How are you?"

"I'm all right, Sazuko-dono, how are you and Shinomori-san?"

"We are all right.  Did you want to discuss something with me?"

"I have a question, Sazuko-dono.  Do you know of any sickness that affects bound humans?"

She looked surprised at the question, but more surprised that I would have expected.  "Is something the matter with your wife?"

"I think something might be.  After I fed on her, she had a little bit of gray hair I'd never noticed before,"

"Bound humans do age, Himura-san, just like vampires do- slowly, but it still happens,"

"She's only one hundred forty four,"

"And she's getting gray hair?  How old was she when you bound her?"

"Nineteen,"

"Oh," she said emotionally, as if I'd just told her someone was dead.

"Do you know what is wrong?"

"No, Himura-san.  It's just that... the same thing happened when Aoshi fed last night," she swept up some of her strands and showed me a sliver of white in her otherwise charcoal-colored hair.  "He said he would ask some people he knew if they had ever seen it before,"

I darkened at this news.  If Aoshi didn't know about something, it was highly unknown by the rest of the world, generally.  Information had been his business when he was alive, and he had never given it up.  I politely left her house and went back home to Kaoru with a significantly heavier heart.  I didn't see the benefit in looking for the information on my own if Aoshi was also looking.  I was slightly cheered by this, since I was sure Aoshi would find a person who knew these things if any existed, but I was haunted by wondering what would become of my wife and possibly others if no such person did exist.  When I returned home, I was surprised but not alarmed to find Misao sitting with Kaoru in my living room and chatting amiably.  I didn't mind, especially since it was entirely likely that Aoshi had sent her here because he felt it was safer than her own home.

"Yeah, and when I finished feeding on him, he had this gray streak right here," Misao pointed to her own hair to illustrate her point.  "Oh, hi, Himura," she waved to me as she noticed my presence.

"Sudara-san has the same... whatever it is... that happened to me tonight," she said to fill me in.

"Sazuko-dono said Aoshi was looking into it,"

"And he wouldn't let me go along!  He said I would be better off staying here with you two!  Why does he never seem to remember that I was part of the Oniwabanshuu just like he was?"

"Calm down, Misao-dono.  There isn't necessarily much two people can do on this.  He's probably going to talk to people you don't know, and he could find them faster,"

"I don't care.  This information is important to me and I want to help!"

"None of us has the authority to tell Aoshi to let you go, so it doesn't matter.  Besides, you could go anywhere you wanted on your own, right?  He just said you couldn't go with _him_," Kaoru interjected helpfully.

"I don't think that would be helpful, Kaoru-dono, that I don't,"

"Why not?  Misao can help find out what's going on and put her mind at rest.  It's not as if it's any more dangerous for her than it is for anyone else, right?  If it makes you feel better, I can go with her,"

"No!  Please don't do that, Kaoru-dono.  Aoshi told me what the situation with Misao was, and it really is more dangerous for her-"

"Wait a minute, he TOLD you?"  Misao interrupted incredulously.

"Yes, and I respect his choice not to tell you because-"

"I don't care what you respect; you're telling me everything right now!"

"I can't do that, Misao-dono, that I can't,"

"Aoshi-sama is hiding things from me.  I think he's seeing another woman, so if you know anything, so help me you better spill it!"

"Aoshi is not seeing another woman.  There is a problem, and I don't think Aoshi would appreciate it if I told you what it was, that makes it more dangerous for you to go out than it is for the rest of us.  I'm sure Aoshi just doesn't want to worry you, Misao-dono, nothing more,"

"But stii-iiilllllll!!!!!"  She whined, knowing by this point that I was not surrendering any information, but judging it worth a shot anyway.  I turned away from her and sat back, quietly retreating into my thoughts.

I hadn't known bound humans could fall ill.  There seemed to be an epidemic among them, and many had not had any experience dealing with illness in hundreds of years.  Vampires certainly wouldn't be of any help- we had as little knowledge of current health practices.  This particular illness seemed to deteriorate their ability to withstand our feeding, and vampires were not exactly known for our patience or restraint.  If this wasn't rectified soon, there would be blood-drained bodies all over the world soon.

I myself could and would hold out longer than most, but there was no telling what would happen if I was overwhelmed with temptation and my survival instinct took over.  I thought I had found a way to exist peacefully in the time I had known Kaoru, but perhaps the slayers were correct when they said my nature was inherently murderous and that I could not exist in a world safe for humans.  Maybe as long as I survived, this was unavoidable.  There were solutions, such as binding humans, but they were clearly only temporary.

I had spent one hundred twenty five years feeding on one woman- a thing I would have thought impossible, and a cruel irony, in the wake of my first wife's death.  I had met Kaoru shortly after I met Misao, and it hadn't taken us long to fall in love.  I hid what I was from her for awhile, but when she was threatened by someone physically stronger, but less honorable, than she was, I had to intervene or watch her die.  I chose to protect her at the cost of exposing my nature to her, and didn't expect our friendship to last after that, but she miraculously did not care.

It was not really fair to say she didn't care, because she did care.  She had compassion for me and allowed me to bind her because she held, like Misao, that it was not my fault I was what I was.  I assured her there were more grave things that were indeed my fault, but she could not be persuaded that I was not worth her while.  She was the only human I could recall meeting in awhile who had known whom and what I was and not shied away.  From the very beginning, she had shown curiosity and interest in me, and it didn't wane when she discovered the truth.

Occasionally she seemed disturbed by something in our marriage and expressed this to me, but I never had an insight.  She was highly disappointed at the revelation that we would never bear children, but had told me she never regretted her choice afterward.  I myself had been somewhat saddened by it, but had been too young to care all that much about it when I first found out and accustomed to it by the time I was mature enough to understand the loss.

A new presence manifested itself in the house, and I looked up into two resigned, blue eyes.  He announced his failure to find a cure or person who possessed such a thing for the strange malady plaguing the humans, but allowed only me in on the news of his other failure.  _Still not planning to tell Misao-dono?_  I asked.

_She would go looking for him, and I don't know if she can handle this one.  If he's hidden himself from me this long, imagine how good he must be._

_Agreed.  Would she even be able to find him, provided someone was with her to prevent him attacking?_

_Maybe.  He might just reveal his ki- that Misao is an excellent tracker, and she'd find him if it were possible.  I just don't want to think about what might happen after that._

_She is a vampire, Aoshi.  She's stronger than any human._

_I don't care.  I don't want her to bother with it, even if she could handle it.  She might be more merciful than I would be inclined to be._

_That's a bad thing?_

_With a slayer who chooses targets that feed on bound humans, yes._

_You want to kill him, and you think she'd spare him._

_I wouldn't go that far.  I want to handle this myself, and that's all I'm saying now._

_I just hope you know what you're doing.  _

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Yuhi-thedoerofevildeeds: I'll be glad to answer any questions you have.  Yes, this is my best fic, and the one that's most consistently gotten reviews.

Chibi Yuushi: thanks, I was afraid my action wasn't good.  Really, my forte is angst.  So glad I could be inspiring!  I've started reading SL, but it keeps getting deleted from my computer every time I save it to read offline.  I will get it all read, though, I promise.  I know when and essentially why enishi's hair and eyes changed, but I meant I wanted to know how that is physically possible.  You don't happen to know, do you?  Glad there is a good plot movement, I was afraid I wasn't going anywhere.  I have steadily tried with the detail- truly, that makes or breaks a story.  Glad to know also that everyone is IC.  That is one of the most important things to me in fanfics- my hugest pet peeve with them is OOC.  I mean, if they're going to be OOC, why even make it a fanfic, why not just create original characters and make it regular fiction?  The only place I know where vampires exist, Ry, is in my own and several other authors' minds, and sorry, you can't go in and get one.  Chi, though, doesn't really have to test any 'theories' since with fictional creatures, they are however you want them to be, so your theories are automatically correct.  I don't know that PETA would care too much about it, though, since vamps would not exactly be considered animals, but more like fellow humans, dead people, or even superhuman by humans, and thus their treatment would not be much of an issue (especially to those who consider them as dead!).


	18. Flames

I've changed my mind- I'm not changing my screen name after all.

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**The Sacred Night, Chapter 17**

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As I sat with Sano, Kaoru and Misao in my living room for the third night that week, we waited for Aoshi to come home and announce failure at finding the cause of the bound human epidemic and the hunter on Misao's trail.  We were mostly quiet, though small talk arose every once in awhile.  Kaoru was declining steadily, even though I'd stopped feeding on her.  None of us had fed in about a week, since we didn't want to endanger the humans we cared about and were reasonably sure this was a temporary situation.  We counted heavily on Aoshi's prowess in information dealing to bring us a solution.

The situation was deteriorating rapidly as vampires all throughout Tokyo became hungrier and began to care less for humans when mercy meant starvation.  The human information networks reported dead or missing individuals in ever-increasing numbers as more and more vampires cracked.  The police were at a loss to explain how the people had died, and the general consensus was that an exotic virus had thinned the blood of its victims so much that they could bleed to death through tiny puncture wounds.

I knew I could hold out without feeding until a cure was found if need be, but I was worried that some of my friends might not have the discipline to accomplish it.  Aoshi was not a concern in this area, since he could will himself into complete stillness for hours on end because of his strange and mysterious ninja background, but Misao, even being a fellow ninja, simply did not have it in her nature to be restrained.  She could never hold back a torrent of words, regardless of the regret she might sincerely feel soon after, and she had never been convinced she could not have Aoshi, though that particular bit of recklessness had paid off in the end.

I also felt I could trust Sano, though perhaps he wasn't the rock of consistency that Aoshi was.  Kaoru didn't present a worry, either, since regardless of her level of control, she was not a vampire and would be feeding only on chicken soup.  That left only Misao who might need a little extra attention to prevent her from succumbing to her hunger, though I still doubted she would, unless this illness dragged on for unprecedented amounts of time, and anyone could break then.  Heaven knew it had happened to me when I'd tried to keep myself from feeding long enough to die.

Perhaps we would all die before a cure was found.  One never knew how quickly these things could come about, and there was no other way to survive without hurting anyone.  Maybe if we all left Tokyo, we could find somewhere there were healthy humans that could be bound, but that didn't provide a solution for the humans we presently associated with, like my Kaoru.  How long would she live in the absence of a cure?  I didn't think she would mind dying all that much, since she had already surpassed the life expectancy for her species by several decades, but I still didn't want her to die and knew she did not exactly _want_ that, either.

My thoughts were interrupted by the appearance of a blood-stained Aoshi in the room.  His prized white coat was ripped, and blood seeped from the sides of his mouth.  He held a sword and was still alive, so the cause of his injuries must have been a vampire at least as old as we were.  I doubted a bound human could do so much damage to Aoshi.  Was it possible that this was related to the information he had been seeking, or had he just gotten in a fight along the way?  He was quiet as his wounds closed, preferring to conserve energy, I suppose.  He finally offered an explanation when no more blood seeped out anywhere.

"It was caused deliberately.  He wants chaos, destruction.  I'll have to go back,"

"Don't worry, Aoshi, we'll go with you.  Uh, the ones of us who can, anyway," he cast an apologetic glance toward Misao, knowing she would have wanted to go and would not be safe doing so in this case.  She scowled.

"No.  I need to go alone.  I have a personal issue with the man who created the virus, or had it created," Aoshi answered firmly.

"I don't care what kind of grudge you have.  We all have personal issues with him now.  You can't stop us from going to protect the people we care about," Sanosuke roughly countered.

"Fine, do what you want.  I will go separately from anyone else who does, though," Aoshi finished and left the room.

After a few moments of silence, Sano turned to me.  "Hey, Kenshin, you haven't said anything about this yet.  Are you gonna go?"

"I don't want to interfere in Aoshi's business, but I will be there in case I'm needed, that I will,"

"What's that mean, you're just gonna stand around unless you're asked to fight?"

"Aoshi may be able to defeat this man on his own.  If he can resolve his business and convince the man to release the cure for the humans' disease in one stroke, no one else needs to be involved, however, if he can't, I will step in to protect my wife and the other humans,"

"I guess I'll say the same thing," Sano finished.

We saw Aoshi's injuries heal, and knew that his vampirism would have him back to full strength quickly, but still didn't realize how soon he'd want to go back.  He didn't seem to need much time to strategize, and soon Aoshi, Sano, and I were in the somewhat familiar lair I had followed Aoshi inside over a hundred years before.  I began to see what was meant by Aoshi's 'personal business' with the leader.

We walked through rooms I had only seen the doors of before, finding no one there.  The only other time I'd been in the building, it had been teeming with vampires.  I guessed the leader wanted privacy for his duel with Aoshi.  He must have been the type to savor and enjoy the contest of physical fortitude and the ultimate snuffing out of life, or in the vampire's case, mere existence.  His ki, when I got close enough to read it, reminded me of Sanosuke's when I'd first met him, but was much, much more sinister.  Sano had enjoyed a good fight, yes, but had never killed for the fun of it.

We reached a door much larger than necessary for humanoid forms to pass through, and from the looks of it, much heavier than necessary.  It didn't take much to keep a human from getting through a door, but no door on Earth would restrain a vampire, unless it had some sort of invisible properties of which I had no knowledge.  The bound human woman I had seen before, still wearing a semi-traditional off the shoulders kimono, stood in front of the door next to a lever attached to a network of chains that seemed to control the door.

"I see you were smarter than I thought, Shinomori, and much braver," she assessed in a seductive, but mocking tone.  I had more of an insight into what sort of man this leader was now.  "Once I open this door," she continued in a more businesslike tone, "none of you can leave until Shishio-sama is dead, unless of course the more likely thing happens, and you never leave.  Is that agreed?"

"What about the others?  They don't have to be dead before we leave?"  I asked, sensing more than one fighter ki on the other side of the door.

"No, they are only there to keep things… interesting," she answered with a small, clever smile.  I heightened my guard.

"Agreed," Aoshi announced curtly, putting a period to all discussion.

The door opened with a high pitched creaking noise and we could see that the room was much larger even than the door made it seem.  There was a high platform on which stood all of the ki sources in the building except those of the woman, Aoshi, Sano, and me.  She led us up several flights of stairs, and at the top stood the heavily bandaged vampire I had seen before.  I wondered again just what could give a vampire such lasting wounds and not kill him.  There were not many things that could kill a vampire.  Fire, decapitation, a stake through the heart, and starvation were the only ones I knew, and anything else could be healed easily.

He stood in the center of the large tiled floor, on which there were no rails, so anyone pressed to the edge of the platform would likely plummet to his or her death.  Three others stood in a row off to the side, and the woman joined them.  One was a man in relatively modern clothes, but the others, like the woman, all wore more traditional dress.  Even the heavily bandaged central vampire identified as Shishio-sama wore a kimono, but with one shoulder off to bear the stifling heat of the room better.  The man in modern clothes didn't appear threatening, and neither did the woman or the young-seeming boy at her side.  I wondered what he was really doing here, since he not only didn't look the part but also didn't have the ki of a fighter.  He looked out of place in such a violent arena obviously meant for fighting, and seemed innocent enough not to know what was going to happen, but I had seen him with this group one hundred twenty six years before, so he must have been well-acquainted with his leader's habits.

The other man was absolutely huge, with a completely bald head and a cloth of some sort tied over it.  He was glaring out at us, unlike the smiling boy, the smug woman, or the frowning man in modern clothes.  This was the only one other than the leader who seemed ready to fight.  Aoshi and the man called Shishio were already in staring fixedly and advancing toward one another slowly, sizing each other up.  I watched the others for a few moments, expecting one to come forward and engage me in battle, but when none did, I simply went back to watching Aoshi and Shishio.

I didn't know at what point, if any, it would be appropriate to interpose.  Knowing Aoshi as I did, I felt he probably wouldn't want me to try to protect him no matter how injured he seemed.  I couldn't allow anything as dishonorable as a surprise from another fighter or a gunshot to reach him, but I would not get between him and Shishio unless asked, and I wasn't likely to be asked.  I noticed Sano doing the same thing as I was- he assessed the four standing off to the side and seemed to come to the same conclusion: that none of them planned to fight us, or at least not yet.  He also watched Aoshi fight Shishio, frowning as he concentrated on them.

The two combatants circled slowly, waiting for an invitation to begin.  Apparently, Aoshi was the first to see one, since he dissolved into a blur of several Aoshis moving fluidly about Shishio.  Unlike I had been, Shishio didn't seem at all confused by this, and immediately lashed out at the correct spot, though he was blocked by Aoshi's two trademark kodachi.  Aoshi then recognized his turn and struck out at several places on the opposing swordsman's body, but to no profit.  He was forced back by the most surprising thing to appear in a vampire battle.

I began to wonder more than before whether this man was a vampire after the manner of vampires I'd known at all, since there on the tip of his sword held out toward Aoshi danced the most frightening thing to any vampire.  It had scared me before I even knew what it should mean to me, when I was a mere infant in the scheme of a vampire's lifespan.  I had not seen it since then, and had never gone near it except as a human, when it could do me much less harm.  Shishio had dared, in the same room where he stood, to create a flame.

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well, adoring fans, I have bad news.  I will NOT be updating this fic on Tuesday OR Thursday this week, as is my custom.  All is not lost, however, since the reason for my not updating is because I have another fic to update those days.  I will be adding to my enishi poem anthology, "Island Tiger," and will then return to my normal schedule for this fic.

Houndingwolf: glad you understand!  Glad you liked the chapter, hope it holds you until Saturday!

Laurika: glad you like my complications and understand everything, though the Misao situation is kind of on the back burner right now.  I adore enishi as well.  Perhaps you'd enjoy "Island Tiger."

Yuhi-thedoerofevildeeds: glad you like it, but you'll have to wait awhile, sorry!

Invader Zim: glad you like it so much, and domo arigatou gozeimasu, merci bouqu, muchas gracias, and thank you in every other language known to human for saying my fic is the best you've ever read!  It's ok that you didn't find the fic sooner, but let me tell you something.  I also appreciate how when you found it, you didn't review every chapter separately, just left one nice, long one for the last chapter. thank you for that as well.  Glad my people are IC; that is very important to me.  Glad I've got enough detail, I'm afraid I'll get a bit lazy and skimp on it… I like the shape shifting thing as well, but I didn't come up with it myself, I got it from Amelia Atwater-Rhodes, who writes truly excellent vampire novels.  A dragon does fit him, but again I didn't come up with that.  If I'm not mistaken, part of 'Hiten Mitsurugi' means 'dragon', among other things, which include 'heaven,' 'honorable,' 'flying,' and, of course, 'sword.'  I have no idea which parts of the Japanese words mean which English words, but I think all those things are in there somewhere.  I find it interesting that so many of the RK characters are identified with animals in one way or another, so I thought I'd incorporate that with the shape shifting.  Most of the ideas just come from what I think would be cool if it happened or if I have a question about RK, I write something that allows me to answer it, like if I think 'I wonder what Hiko's reaction to Kenshin's being a vampire would be' then I write a scene with Hiko's reaction to Kenshin's being a vampire.  I love vamps as well, but guess what?  I even have a couple of vamp-haters reading my story!  Maybe they'll come around and see how great they are… yes; he will always be a vamp.  I usually update on a schedule of every Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday, but this week I won't be updating on Tuesday or Thursday as I have another fic to update those days, but after that I will be back on schedule.

Cattibrie393:  sorry ff.net's been mean… it is frequently down, and I feel your pain.  Kaoru is a bound human, and there is that epidemic circulating with them, so you'll see plenty of them!  Well, the fake corpse thing is directly out of the manga, so if it seems unrealistic, complain to Watsuki-sama…


	19. Nature?

**The Sacred Night, Chapter 18**

I watched the fire, completely taken aback.  I had seen fire only a handful of times since being changed into my present form, and had felt the same thing every time: uncontrolled, purely instinctual fear.  I had never dared to go as near it as I was at that moment, because it was one of only a scant few things that could kill a vampire.  I recalled the first time I had seen it after I was changed, and the unexplained sensation keeping me away even when the carriers of it had been my only hope of finding home.  My rational mind had told me it was a silly fear, that I had no reason to be frightened of fire, and had not been afraid of it even as a human child.  My rational mind could not compete with my vampiric instincts, however, even when I hadn't known what they were.

This was the last thing I ever expected to see in a vampire fight, or anywhere near a vampire who was not about to die.  Sano's eyes were as wide as mine, and we each took a step back.  A reverent silence fell over the entire room except Shishio.  The three vampires I didn't know remained stony, Sano and I were too awed to speak, Aoshi was fully aware that the fire was meant for him, and even the human was still.  She was the only one who had no reason to fear the tiny column of energy springing from the sword, but she must have appreciated the danger for her friends.

The other vampires must have not only been aware that their leader planned to do this, but also trained, as he also must be, to suppress their natural fear of it.  This was truly the ultimate weapon for combating a vampire, as humans had exploited for centuries, but I had never expected it to be used by a fellow vampire, for two reasons.  It was rather bad form to use things humans took advantage of us with, but it was also just plain difficult to do.

The creation of fire was no accomplishment for a human, who can simply strike a match or any number of other things, but for a vampire it was considerably more difficult.  The instinct to flee fire was ingrained into our bones, like the desire of a bird to fly south during cold months.  It didn't matter if we knew we could control it or if we didn't know why we should be afraid of it.  The man standing before Aoshi and grinning wildly at the victory he must be certain he would have must have spent decades suppressing his instincts in order to do this, and though it wasn't wise, it was effective.

It was effective because it worked in more than one way.  Of course, there was the obvious, which would result if the opposing vampire allowed the fire to touch his or her skin, but there was also the fear that crippled a vampire's reasoning at times.  The danger was real, and a logical vampire would certainly not discount that, but there was a catch.  A vampire could not, without significant preparation, still the fear of fire inherent in our nature, so even if the flame was minute enough to be of very little actual danger, the vampire would likely take greater pains than necessary to avoid it.

I watched the two of them trade blows, Aoshi never backing away from the tiny, bright death sentence coming ever closer as his opponent taxed his strength.  Aoshi had several rips in his clothing that attested to the fact that wounds had been there once, though they were now healed beneath the drying blood on his skin and garments.  Shishio was completely unruffled, never moistening the bandages that covered nearly every square inch of his skin with sweat and never marring them with blood.  His kimono was never wrinkled, and what little hair was visible was not mussed.  He was easily a match for Aoshi.

Aoshi twisted out of the way of a particularly close blow and for a moment, I was afraid he hadn't made it.  A piece of the fire came away with Aoshi's coat, and I gripped the hilt of my sword, preparing to take his place protecting my wife and the other humans.  In a moment, however, it disappeared, defeated by the slight wind created by Aoshi's movements.  I sighed and relaxed, but didn't stay that way long.  I stayed alert, knowing that though I wasn't in the same danger as Aoshi was at the moment, I was in fairly immediate danger because there was fire in the room.  No one knows how easily a fire can spread like a vampire does.  If Shishio somehow lost control of it, we would all be finished.  If he should decide to use a more 'impressive' attack, we may be in just as much danger.

My fears were never realized during their fight.  That tiny tongue of flame was sufficient to keep Aoshi at bay, effectively ensuring that he could do nothing but defend.  He soon realized, like me, that the only way to have a chance to win was to risk the touch of the fire.  It was not impossible for a vampire to live through this, but the odds were rather slim.  Vampiric flesh was very susceptible to the damages of flame, and the substance that was embedded in it to facilitate the rapid healing we relied on, _bruja-sangre_, was highly flammable.

Fortunately for Aoshi, he wore a coat over most of his flame-sensitive skin, and the fabric would have absorbed only minuscule quantities of _bruja-sangre_, the way a human's garments absorb very little of the oil that keeps human skin from drying out.  Luckily in this case, but as a rule very unluckily for us, the fabric was actually _less_ flammable than his skin, as well as mine, Sano's, Misao's, and presumably Shishio's.

He dashed into the inner circle of space around Shishio, grasping out for a hit on his torso.  Only a small opening appeared in the bandages swathed around his stomach, but a surprising thing happened nonetheless.  The wound bled for the expected moment, but after that it just… didn't stop.  Perhaps it had something to do with his strange injuries and his production of _bruja-sangre_.  Shishio kept fighting, but his strength waned rapidly- even more so than a human's would.  For a vampire, blood was of vital importance, and every bit of ki contained in the lost blood was gone forever, unless the vampire could drink it as fast as it came out, and given the location of this particular wound, that wasn't possible.

The loss of ki amounted to starvation, and Shishio was now fighting like a vampire who had not fed in weeks.  A vampire's body doesn't hold blood long, thus the need to replenish it nightly, and doesn't contain much at one time unless the vampire has just fed.  Shishio, clearly, had not just fed.  He bled more quickly as a result of the physical activity he was engaged in and insisted on continuing, and soon he could barely stand.  Aoshi stopped moving and simply bowed his head.

"Shishio, your plan has failed.  If I thought there was any way you would reform, I would let you survive, but I know you.  You have to die,"

My emotion exploded to life at this.  I couldn't let him kill right before my eyes, for murder was never an option.  I had learned that the hard way.  I also couldn't interfere, though, because theirs was a personal fight that could feasibly continue for all eternity if they weren't allowed to resolve it on their own, besides, we weren't supposed to leave without killing him.  My emotions didn't war long, though, since Shishio gathered his strength to speak his last words.

"You understood once, Shinomori.  You'll understand again with or without me," he smirked in the midst of a statement meant to be sage, and crumpled without a touch from Aoshi's weapons.

At that moment, all the forces of the underworld broke loose.  The large, serious vampire charged Sanosuke, while I found myself face to face with the serenely smiling, boyish vampire.  No one bothered Aoshi, which strategically, was a mistake.  I guessed this was because it was assumed that Shishio would succeed in killing him and only Sano and I would be left to dispatch.  It didn't matter, though, because Aoshi wouldn't interfere in another person's fight for the world unless Misao was involved.

I had to move at my full speed to block the weapon hurtling toward me, which almost never happened.  The youth, I couldn't help but think of him that way, though we were probably only ten or so years apart, attacked furiously, not leaving time to ask why exactly he had targeted me after the issue was seemingly resolved.  Everything had happened so quickly from the time Aoshi had announced that he'd found the creator of the virus that I hadn't really understood why  it had been done in the first place or who was involved, and now I was in a fight for which I could give no reason except that I'd been attacked first.

I was especially puzzled by the youthful vampire's ki.  Though he was obviously a fighter, and a good one at that, he had no ki to indicate this.    I couldn't see a pattern to his attacks, and his mind was a blank slate to me.  I had never met a vampire whose mind I could not hack into with a bit of effort, but there is a first time for everything.  No matter what forces I employed of the unseen, I could not begin to view his thoughts, much less control them.

I was forced to defend to avoid being sliced in two, but only began to truly attack after several such attempts at slicing me in two proved that this small fighter would not relent until I forced him to do so.  Surprisingly, not only could I not read his ki accurately, I was having difficulty matching his speed.  This disturbed me, since there was only one person I had ever known who could exceed my top speed, or even match it, for that matter, and thankfully, he would never have opposed me for any but instructional purposes.

Suffice it to say I was not exactly winning.  It was not an entirely foreign sensation, since I often started out in the losing position and later figured out the secrets to my opponents' moves and how to defeat them, but I had never done this without reading their ki.  I knew there was nothing outside clouding my senses, since I could sense and easily read everyone else in the room, though the human had a markedly fainter ki-image.  It was only the man in front of me whom I could not sense.

We finally broke away from one another, and to a human we would have looked completely untaxed, since we did not breathe or produce sweat and no redness rushed to our faces, but I was certainly beginning to feel the effects.  I couldn't really say I knew whether the other man felt the same way, but based on experience, it was entirely likely.  This conclusion was confirmed by the fact that he stood still a few moments, and in that interval, I took advantage of the ability to spare a bit of attention for conversation.

"Why did you attack me?"  was the most obvious question, so I asked it after a few seconds.

"Shishio-san ordered us to fight you to the death if Shinomori-san defeated him, because we need to prove that we are the strongest so we can rally the vampires to our cause," he obligingly answered.  "I didn't think it would really happen, though," he finished without letting his smile falter.

"What cause is it that you want vampires to support?"

"Shishio-san always said that the strong are the only ones who survive in this world.  This is just the natural order of things.  Vampires are the strongest species on the planet Earth, and it just makes sense that we should rule it,"

"So he wanted vampires to take over the world?  If he wants vampires to be the most powerful class on the planet, he should not have chosen a method of action that could potentially kill so many vampires,"

The boyish vampire laughed softly when I said that.  "Only those vampires who care to spare humans would be killed, Himura-san, and those vampires do not deserve to rule the world with those of us who understand things.  It's only nature,"

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yay, finally an explanation!  Major bonus points to anyone who knows what "bruja sangre" means!  Well, chi, I know you'll know what it means…

Chibi Yuushi:  glad you liked that- I like it when I don't check for awhile and then practically all my favorite stories are updated.  Yes, Shishio is behind it all, and if you know him, you know he'd never do anything without being difficult… besides, I didn't say what went on before Kenshin came into the situation- if you'll remember, Aoshi was already wounded when he announced  that he'd found him, so perhaps he tried to talk it out of him first and failed.  Given that it's Aoshi, though, there's no telling.  No, I don't know that song, but it sounds like it fits Kenshin in this fic based on those lyrics.  *so sad*  btw, where did you learn to fence?  I think martial arts are the coolest, and would like to learn something like that.

Invader Zim: glad you like my work so much.  I like The L Word as well, since I adore tomoe.  Maybe I can help you with your poems if you tell me specifically what you do wrong, or maybe let me read them.  Glad you like my poetry style.  That story now has two fans.  Why aren't you a member?  It doesn't cost anything, and it's more convenient to find all the stories you want if they're lined up neatly in your favorites list.  You don't have to hunt them down.  I really liked Creeping up on You as well.  It might be my favorite.  I loved the idea.  I won't be finding a 'cure' for Kenshin, since I like vamps and I want him to live peacefully as one, since many seem to think it's impossible.  There will likely be something like five more chapters.

Cattibrie393: glad you understand.  Many of the exploits in this fic are based at least loosely on manga events, so if you don't understand something in the future, that's a good place to look.

Yuhi-thedoerofevildeeds: glad you don't mind and are looking forward to my story.

Cheesecake: glad it's not getting dull in its old age.  You are so smart.  I just can't tell you anything about Kenji, as that would spoil later chapters…


	20. The Cure

**The Sacred Night, Chapter 19**

****

"How do you know my name?"  I asked the dark-haired vampire.

"Oh, I seem to have forgotten my manners!  I'm sorry, Himura-san, I was just looking forward to fighting you so much that I guess I got a little eager!  My name is Seta Soujirou, and Shishio-san told all of us your names,"

"Soujirou, I have never met Shishio-san…" I trailed off as I looked over to where the dead form of the vampires' leader lay changed back into his natural form- he was tall, dark-haired, and muscular, just like the vampire that had called Misao 'bishoujo' that night on the way to Kyoto, only now he was covered in scars, just like the vampire I'd seen when I followed Aoshi to the den of this very group of militant vampires.  "I see," I finished.

"So now you understand?  I'll prove to you that it's right to follow the natural order of things," he declared, raising his sword again.

****

"Is it natural to murder the innocent?"  I asked, partially wanting to clarify what the vampire before me meant, and partially wanting to convince him it wasn't true, while waiting for him to strike.

"Feeding isn't murder, Himura-san.  Is it murder when a human kills a fish to eat it?"  He asked, just like someone else I recalled.  He rushed toward me at such a speed I couldn't even _see_ him.

"Fish don't have souls, Soujirou.  Humans are sacred.  They're better than we are," I replied to the air, thinking of the most sacred human of all: my wife.  How I missed her…

_Kenshin!_  I heard her voice say in my mind.  I hadn't been reliving a memory of her saying that, so where had it come from?  We were too far apart for me to sense her or hear her thoughts, unless she had been moving the entire time I'd been gone…

Soujirou was laughing mildly again, from every angle this time.  "You are wrong, Himura-san.  Humans are no more to us than fish are to humans.  They are food, and their deaths benefit us.  Why would any vampire want to save one?"

"Because they're innocent!  They aren't killers like we are, and this is their planet.  They are alive, and they love and are happy,"

"What makes those things important?  None of it could exist without strength, and they don't have that, we do.  We can love and be happy, and there's no reason to be innocent.  Innocence only means not knowing the way things are meant to work," he replied, slightly less happy and musical than before.  Perhaps I was beginning to annoy him.

Each passing word came from a different place in the room.  I realized I was very likely going to die, since I had no idea where Soujirou would be when he attacked me, but I began to feel something.  I could sense a tense, tight ball of anger moving through the air around me, growing from a tiny pinprick to consume more and more of Soujirou's ki.  I sensed him coming closer and closer to me in an erratic pattern, but I knew exactly where to block when the blow came.

I threw him back and he landed well, but seemed put out that I had been able to throw him back at all.  I was no longer worried.  Now that I could read him, I knew exactly were to block and how to attack most effectively.  He rushed at me with less precision, but more speed, than he had had before, but it did no good, that it didn't.

We finally squared off for the final blow, since both of us were so high strung that we would expend everything we had regardless of anything.  He was anxious to prove to me by winning that his philosophy and that of his mentor was correct.  I was anxious to end the fight so I could leave, and perhaps talk some sense into him first.  We took similar stances, both preparing to use something akin to what had once been my signature move: a single, lightning fast stroke drawn diagonally up as the sword was drawn.

We rushed toward the middle of our battleground and toward each other, both most probably invisible to anyone else, but I could see him and I had no doubt that he could see me.  We both drew our weapons in the same instant with a sound that would curdle a human's blood, but we were deaf to it.  Another thundering clash echoed through the building as our swords met and a piece of metal flew to the side as my weapon contacted with his flesh.  It was clear just what had happened as he lifted off the ground and fell in an arc, still clutching half a sword, the other half stuck straight up in the floor.

"Kiddo!"  The human shouted, running in halting, jerky steps toward us, hindered by her restrictive kimono and what was possibly a birth defect or an injury causing her to walk with her feet turned inward.  She knelt next to Soujirou and cradled his head in her lap.  He lay there, relatively still, but still emitting a readable ki, so I surmised that he was alive, but willing to admit defeat.

"Are you all right, Soujirou?"  I asked, receiving a glare from the woman at that.

"Yes, Himura-san.  I am a vampire, remember.  I'll be ok in awhile.  I guess I owe you an apology, don't I Himura-san?"  He answered shakily.

"Why?"

"You were right all long.  You won, so you're stronger than I am.  You're right,"

"Soujirou, just because I won a fight doesn't mean I'm right.  Being right is determined by your ideas and how you live your life, that it is.  If anyone who won a fight was always right, one person would rule the world and everyone would have to believe him no matter what he said just because he was strong.  You have to decide for yourself what you believe is right, that you do,"

"You're very demanding, Himura-san.  I didn't think anyone could be more demanding than Shishio-san was, but you forced me to think,"

"I have to go now, Soujirou, but I hope you learn to live in a better way, I do," I finished.

"Here," the woman said so softly I hardly heard her.  She handed me a small vial of a clear liquid, which I accepted, assuming it was the cure to the virus the bound humans were experiencing, but I was slightly confused that she would give it to me so willingly.  "Shishio-sama ordered me to give this to you if you won, and I laughed at him, thinking he was invincible, but here you are.  You were stronger than us; you deserve to do what you think is right.  That's what he would have said,"

"I'm not so sure about that anymore, Miss Yumi.  Himura-san confused me, and now I don't know what the truth is anymore.  I think I'll have to go be by myself awhile to try and figure things out…" he continued talking, but I walked away to let them be alone.  It seemed like a personal moment, and I didn't want to intrude.

Aoshi, Sano and I left after I showed them the vial Yumi had given me.  We were soon back in Tokyo with the others, but there was a new person there.  Misao seemed all right, but worried and hungry, and Kaoru was in our bedroom with the new person.  She was lying there, barely moving, and mumbling incoherent sounds.  She seemed to have started to hallucinate, the new person told me.  She was, apparently, a bound human doctor.  A knock came at the door.

"You have humans here!"  The strange vampire shouted when Misao opened the door.  Misao could barely keep her out of the apartment, pushing with all her might to remove the half-crazed vampire from the premises.

"Kenshin!  Help!"  She shouted.  If the vampire was stronger than Misao in her emaciated state, I hated to imagine what she would have been like if she'd fed recently.  She must have been hungry before the human epidemic started to have gotten so bad already.  It was either that, or she just didn't have much discipline.  Still wondering where the doctor had come from and why she wasn't sick like the other humans, I ran to aid Misao.  I tried to grab one of the woman's arms to restrain her so she wouldn't get in to where the humans were, but she twisted out of my reach.

"Misao, push us out with the door and the lock it," I instructed.  I clearly couldn't pull or push her out myself, but the door could accomplish it easily.  The only catch to it was that I would also get pushed out with her.  She was so small and skinny that it was difficult to believe she could get away from me, and truly she wasn't as strong as I was, but she twisted so strangely that I could never get a grip to stop her from fighting.

Once we were out in the hallway, I completely let go, thinking she would leave, but she merely attacked the door.  Being a vampire, she could break through it fairy quickly, so I had to stop her from damaging it enough to get through to my Kaoru and the doctor.  I reached around her waist and picked her up to remove her from the door.

"You must stop trying to break down my door, that you must!"  I appealed urgently as she tried to claw her way out of my grip.

"There are humans in there!  You have humans and you're not sharing!"  She reached behind herself to attempt to injure me, and I didn't worry about it or try to dodge because I knew she wouldn't be able to reach me.  Imagine how surprised I was when she latched onto my hair and pulled it hard enough to jerk my head around to the side, and while I was distracted and stunned, she leapt away.

"Those humans are important!  One is my wife, and the other is a doctor who's going to fix the problem with the humans, she is!"  I shouted as I attempted to pull the skinny female away from the door yet again.  She could reach me behind her so easily and injure places I never would have thought to defend, though, and I was forced to let her go again.

"Fix the problem?  It doesn't matter, they're all gone already, except those two in there, and I'm getting one!"

"Onna-san, you can't feed on them.  Why do you think I haven't?  There are three other vampires in there who haven't, either!"

"That's not true!  One of them is feeding on the healthy one right now!"

I felt around in the house, curious and confused about who would be feeding on the doctor when she needed to help Kaoru, but I did, in fact, sense Sano feeding on the young-seeming doctor.  She seemed willing enough, so I didn't worry about it, but it did make it more difficult to convince the starved vampire to leave.  I stood in front of the door to block her when she attempted to break through it again, as I was sure she would.

I was right.  She leapt at me, but twisted in midair and stretched out a long leg to kick out at my legs, and since I'd learned something from her previous assaults, I did dodge, but not enough.  Her limbs always seemed to twist farther than those of a normal person should.  I was able to change my position enough to trap her leg with mine, but even with it incapacitated, the other could reach across it to strike my jaw.  I didn't understand how a person could be so flexible, but the fact was there and I had to deal with it.  I had to expect the unexpected and defend everywhere at once, even places it didn't look like she could reach.

************************************************************************************************************


	21. A New Friend

**The Sacred Night, Chapter 21**

"Aiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii!"  A voice I didn't recognize shrieked through the nearly dark apartment building.  Mine was probably the only apartment with any lights on.

"Relax, Fox, I thought you _wanted _me to do that," Sano's muffled voice replied.  They continued arguing, but I didn't bother to listen.  After all, I'd known Sano a hundred years.  I had heard this conversation before.

I turned my attention back to the girl who was attempting to forcibly remove me from the door so she could break it down and reach the humans on the other side.  Despite the claws she'd grown to further this purpose, I stayed in place.  Generous quantities of my blood had collected on her fingertips, and when she took a break to enjoy it, the door, which I had incidentally been leaning on, opened behind me.  I fell ignobly at the feet of the doctor Sano had called "Fox."  She stepped forward to the wild female vampire, who rushed forward, ready to wrestle her to the ground to get her blood.  The young doctor didn't give any resistance, though, so she simply drank with a voracious appetite.

I didn't ask the woman what her intentions had been, walking out there to where she could easily be killed, because she probably couldn't have heard me even if I had.  She was probably laying on the beach somewhere as far as she was concerned- that was, if the vampire still had the presence of mind to use her mind control abilities, which should have still been functioning.  I hoped it didn't hurt too badly if she didn't.

"Hey, don't take it all!"  Sano exclaimed after a little while, pulling the doctor away from the vampire.  She had her eyes closed, still savoring the taste, but allowed the taller woman to be pulled from her.  I noticed again how very small the vampire was, and not only that, but young-looking.  It did take a lot for me to think someone was small.

Eyes still closed, she sank to her knees and covered her face in her hands.  It must have been a very long time since she'd fed, to enjoy it that much.  After a moment, though, to all of our shock she began to shake and sob.  Everyone drifted back inside, uncomfortable or simply not acknowledging whatever was happening because of what the girl had attempted to do.  All the same, no one likes to be seen crying before a crowd, so it worked out all right.  I sat down next to her and spoke softly.

"It's all right," I didn't know whether to address her as 'Onna-san' or 'Shoujo-san,' so I didn't use either, "It's all right, that it is," I continued.  She didn't stop crying, but shook her head slowly.

"No, it's not.  I would have drained her dry, and the other one, too, the sick one.  I would have k-"

"Stop it," I interrupted, never fond of the word 'kill,' but also knowing she had not been entirely in control of herself.  "It's over now, and you seem sorry, you do, so just do your best to control yourself in the future.  When the humans get better, you might never even have to worry about it again!"  I smiled, trying to reassure her that I didn't hold a grudge.  I hoped that would mean something to her, since she knew one of the humans was my wife.

She didn't answer.  She just cried there awhile, and I stayed there as a sort of support until she calmed down.  She dried her eyes and stood up, but looked unsure of what to do.  I asked if I could help with anything and she shook her head, but when I invited her in, she came.  She sat with the rest of the vampires in the living room, while Kaoru and the doctor, whose name I had finally learned was Megumi, were alone in the bedroom.  I had given Megumi the vial from Yumi when I brought the girl in, but nothing had happened yet.  I didn't complain, since I wasn't a doctor and had no clue what had to be done to make my Kaoru well, but I had assumed it would be a simple matter of administering the substance in the vial after its safety was assured.  Sano was the first to strike up a conversation with the girl we'd just met.  She hadn't spoken at all, except when she'd initially yelled at Misao and me and when I'd spoken to her in the hallway.

"So, uh," I guessed he didn't know any more than I did what to call her, "What's your name, k-" he paused and corrected himself, "I mean, uh, what's your name?"  Apparently, I also was not the only one to think she looked a tad young to be a vampire, but if she wasn't, she must have been something very similar.

"Tsubame," she answered without lifting her head.

"Sagara Sanosuke.  So where'd you come from?"

"Right around here,"

He paused a moment, seeming frustrated by her minimalist answers, but then had an idea.  "Say, you're, uh, awful small.  How old were you when you were changed?"

"Ten,"

"And how old are you now?"  The old piece of advice 'never ask a lady her age,' while it worked extremely well with human women, didn't apply to vampires.  Vampire women flaunted their ages proudly, especially when they were 500 and looked about thirty.

"One hundred thirty,"

Sano looked as shocked as I was.  She didn't look a day over twelve.  Her ki had even been mostly calm but with a spark of rebelliousness, which seemed to fit a twelve-year-old.  He gave up on conversation about then.

We sat in silence, waiting for a result on Kaoru's health, and everyone except Sano and Tsubame seemed a bit on edge.  None of the rest of us had fed recently.  No one said anything, however, partly out of respect for my worry over Kaoru, but partly also because they knew it wouldn't do any good.  No humans would be safe to feed on until Megumi finished her work, since she would be busy and Kaoru would still be sick.  It might even take a few days before Kaoru could be fed on safely.

"She's asking for you, Ken-san," Megumi announced softly, never looking at anyone else.

I supposed the name she'd chosen for me was cute, though it would take some getting used to.  She led me back through my house to the temporary sickroom even though I knew where it was, which told me her doctor's arts were well-ingrained.  It must have been Misao who'd found her, since she had been the only person present when I left other than Kaoru herself, and Misao didn't skimp.  I entered and saw Kaoru better than she'd been the last time I'd seen her, but still not in great health.  She was sitting up in bed and looked tired, but completely lucid, at least.  I sat near the bed and held her hand, ready with a thousand questions.

"How do you feel?"  I asked.

"Tired, but okay," she answered, squeezing my hand.  "Megumi-san says I should be better in a few weeks,"

_Weeks?_  I swallowed.  I'd hoped the cure would be relatively simple.  Then again, I was almost a hundred fifty years behind on what little medical knowledge I'd had in the first place.

"You'll have to feed on someone else," she whispered, lowering her lashes.

"No, Kaoru-dono.  I'll wait for you, no matter how long,"

"I wish you wouldn't say that.  It's fine, Kenshin, I understand.  I won't hold it against you if you do.  You know that,"

"I know.  I want to wait, though.  It's always been… special,"

"I know, and I've enjoyed it very much.  I just don't want you to hurt yourself over it," she squeezed my hand again.

"It's important to me.  If it gets really bad, I'll find someone else, okay?"

"Okay," she agreed, smiling.  Megumi knocked and entered to remind me not to keep her awake too long, since she would need lots of rest.  I nodded and said goodbye to Kaoru, and then left the room to wait with the other vampires.  Megumi took me aside once we were in the hall.

"I can help you find someone to feed on while your wife is sick," she offered.

"No, thanks, Megumi-dono.  That won't be necessary,"

"Or if you want, you could feed on me.  I should be all right, and I'm the only healthy bound human that's very nearby.  Anyone else would take longer to bring in," she observed, and her eyes were the only things not totally professional.

"Yes, Megumi-dono, if you don't mind my asking, how did you keep from becoming sick?"

"I just came here from Aizu when Misao-san told me what was happening here.  No one in Aizu is affected, or at least not that I am aware of,"

"Thank you, Megumi-dono.  I'll let you know if I need you," I finished and we walked out to the living room.  Megumi must have been well-acquainted with vampires' sensory abilities, because she could hide things better than any human I'd met yet.  It was either that, or she just didn't feel as much as I expected her to feel at the moment.

When I reentered the living room, I noticed that it was much warmer and brighter than before, and suddenly could barely keep my eyes open.  The only vampire left by this time was Tsubame, and she was curled up on the couch.  I didn't want to go back into the bedroom and disturb Kaoru, so I took the only remaining option- the floor.  I lay down in front of an open window with a shaft of light falling across my face and effectively sending me into oblivion.

When I awoke, I saw Tsubame, predictably still sleeping peacefully in my living room.  How would she have left?  Every vampire in Japan was probably waking up at this precise moment.  She woke up slowly, completely calm.  She looked around a moment in the familiar disorientation that comes with waking up in a strange place, but then gasped.  She covered her mouth with her hand and froze all except her eyes, which traveled around the room ever more nervously, settling after some deliberation on me.

"I'm so sorry, Sir, I'll be gone before you know it," she apologized profusely, looking around quickly to see if she had any personal items with her that she would need to take.

"No, Tsubame-dono, it's quite all right, that it is," I corrected, not wanting her to feel unwanted.  If she actually _was_ unwanted by certain individuals there, it was beyond my control.

"You must all hate me now, trying to hurt your sick human friend…" she continued, ignoring me and still looking around to prepare to leave.

"Tsubame-dono, stop.  I don't hate you.  I understand that you regret what you did, and believe me, I know what it feels like to do something you regret,"

She did stop.  She hadn't actually gathered a thing, for all her searching, and she sat down very slowly as I talked.  She was silent for a moment, and heaved a sigh so ragged it seemed to wither even her childish form.  She looked around the room again, and looked up at me, seeming to wait for something in the still-dark room.  She seemed to need, or maybe just want, an explanation of what I meant by my words on regret.

"Have you ever heard of the vampire in the 1860's that was known as "Battousai" in Kyoto?"  I asked.

"Yes, but what could that possibly have to do with…" she looked me up and down again, "oh my g- you're the-"

**********************************************************************************************

well, it's a tad short of my usual length, but that was just too perfect a place to end it.  Sorry I'm late- ff.net wouldn't let me in!

Chibi Yuushi:  glad you like my interpretation of the events.  You are right about "bruja sangre."  Glad my action was at least okay… man, do I hate writing fight scenes.  I didn't think Shishio changed that much, since in the manga he does seem like a total pyro to me, and he used fire in his fight with Kenshin.  I also thought it would be so very like him to wipe out all the innocent little humans for the sake of proving a point to vampires.  one of your guesses as to the woman's identity is right, and I'm about to give away which one: who is Shura?  Anyway, thanks for the song lyrics!  It makes me think of a werewolf.

Houndingwolf: glad you like it so much!  Good luck finding better ways to express yourself.  Are you doing something strange when you review?  Ff.net keeps sending me each of your reviews about 50 times in one day…

Cattibrie393: yes, it is a cure.  Megumi is in here somewhere, but I don't think you've met her yet… are you talking about Yumi?  The crazy woman is someone you should recognize once you find out her name.

PraiseDivineMercy: know why the fights ended too easily?  I despise writing them.  Sorry if it makes the suspense out.  Yumi has so much to say that entire fics could feature her, but I didn't have much purpose for her in this one.  If you'll notice, she at least survived, though!  No, the humans are not gone, but they are too sick to be fed upon safely, so they either die or the vampires that usually feed on them resort to regular humans and thus, kill them.  You will know soon who the woman is, and I never thought about it, but Hannya does have weird moves like hers.  I thought it would be interesting to have Kenshin fight a woman who relied on flexibility, since women are naturally more flexible than men are.  They're not really fighting, since he's just trying to restrain her, not injure her, but it still works.

D2k3001: glad you like it!  Yes, she will be ok eventually.

Invader Zim: not to worry, ff.net was evil to me, too- I didn't get to post Thursday.  Glad to hear it was a glitch that took all my wonderful reviews, I was afraid I didn't get any.  Guess what my browser does?  When I click "submit review" or "add to favorites" or something at the bottom of a fic, my browser thinks the resulting window is a popup and blocks it.  Yes, fan fiction is usually spaced, I think.  Yes, Kenji will be here eventually.  I rather like him as well.  You don't have to have a lot of time to post things, because if you want, you can leave two months in between chapters.  You won't get as many reviews, but you can update on any schedule you want.  Actually, I'm thinking the story will be longer than I anticipated, because I'm bringing Kanryuu in later, and because I'm enjoying it too darn much to quit.

Yuhi-thedoerofevildeeds: glad you like it!  I'll update whenever ff.net lets me…


	22. Failure

**The Sacred Night, Chapter 21**

"Yes, Tsubame-dono, I was," I answered.  "I regret a lot of things very deeply.  Do you understand now?"

"I think so… Battousai-san," I saddened at having her call me that, since I had just bared what I thought made it obvious how I hated that name, but I couldn't really blame her.  I hadn't told her my real name yet.

"Himura Kenshin," I introduced myself, bowing.  She bowed back and nodded.

"Himura-san, then,"

I felt the matter was resolved, at least for the moment, so I went to check on my wife.  I saw a bit of light in the hallway issuing out of the bedroom, and was gladdened at the idea that someone was awake in there.  I opened the door, doubting that anyone but Kaoru would be doing anything personal in there, and after all, if I saw that, it wouldn't be out of the ordinary.  I entered, disappointed at finding Kaoru still asleep, but reminded myself that she had to sleep in order to get better.

"Oh, is it dark already?"  Megumi asked, closing a very large book she'd been reading next to a small table lamp.  "Have you thought any more what I said this morning?"

"Well, Megumi-dono, I'd really prefer to wait until my wife is better.  I don't make it a habit to feed on other people,"

"No, Ken-san," she shook her head.  "As your wife's doctor, I can't allow you to do that.  It isn't safe for her,"

"I assure you, Doctor Takani, I can control myself until she is better," she looked at me wryly.

"I'm not thoroughly convinced of that, Ken-san, but in the event you can, what will happen when she _is_ better?  You will need to take a lot of blood to make up for your starvation during her illness, and she won't be able to handle it yet.  You really must keep yourself healthy,"

I thought about this.  Her concerns were legitimate- perhaps once I had been very good at going without feeding, but I hadn't experienced much of that in awhile.  I might not be as controlled as I once had been now that I'd fed every single night for the last one hundred twenty six years, except during the period when I'd thought my Kaoru was dead.  One could never be too careful, and I would have died before I knowingly took a chance on hurting her.

"I suppose you're right, Megumi-dono.  I'd appreciate your help finding someone,"

"If you don't mind, Ken-san, I'm very busy, and it would be easier for me to just do it myself than it would be to find someone all the way out in Aizu.  I don't have your telepathic abilities,"

"That would be fine, that it would," I answered, not thinking too much about it beyond a brief remembrance of the way her eyes had looked when she first made that offer.  Her ki had offered little to back it up, so it was probably nothing.

She went to freshen up in the bathroom, and I did the same in the bedroom.  I had slept fully clothed all day, and it was getting old.  While I was in the room changing, Kaoru stirred and started to mumble.  She was in the stage just before waking, where she usually talked about whatever she was dreaming about in her sleep.  She had very funny dreams.  I could remember dreaming, but couldn't remember any individual dreams, because I hadn't had one in so long.  Vampires slept too deeply to have dreams, or at least too deeply to be able to remember them.  If we slept in very dark areas, sometimes we could remember a faint ghost of a dream, but never more.

"Shoko-san, why are you driving that bus in here?"  She murmured.  "No, no, stop it!  You're cooking the tofu wrong; you have to leave it on until it starts to get black…"

No wonder she was such a horrible cook.  I was finished dressing and didn't want to disturb her rest, so I left to find something else to do until she woke up.  I noticed that some laundry needed to be done, so I took an armful with me when I left the bedroom.  It was convenient to have the devices that hadn't been around to make life easier when I was alive.  It only took a few seconds to start the laundry and walk away to wait for it to finish itself in the twenty first century.

"What are you doing?"  A female voice asked behind me, a stifled giggle apparent in her voice.

"I'm letting this machine do the laundry, that I am,"

"Men do _not_ do laundry," she laughed.

"Tsubame-dono, when we were alive, that was a common opinion, and I did laundry even then.  Now, with this machine, it matters even less who does the laundry,"

"You did women's work _then_?  Why?"

"Kaoru-dono has always been the one to have a job, so I have taken care of the house,"

She kept smiling shyly, but walked away.  I was glad I'd made her laugh, even if it was for a reason I thought was silly.  Even though she was almost as old as I was, it was difficult not to think of her as a child, and she was so serious for a child.  I didn't know her past, but she also seemed like she had experience with the types of feelings that had almost driven her away before I stopped her.  She couldn't have had an easy life, not only being a vampire, but one that perpetually looked like a child at that.  The streets of a big city like this one at night were no place for a child, and all of the unscrupulous adults out there knew it.  She had probably had good reason to learn to repel stronger people as she had the night we met.  I reflected on this pensive note for a moment, and then heard her musical laughter coming from the living room.  She really did sound like a child.

Megumi was just coming out of the bathroom in a fresh dress, drying her hair with a towel.  It was a nice dress; it was purple with tiny white flowers on it, and it reached the ground.  It had little black buttons down the front and showed her arms.  She must not have been as old a vampire as her ki had seemed to indicate, since that would have been inappropriate to wear in public when I was alive.  We were not exactly in public, true, but for all intents and purposes, this was her workplace.

"Ken-san, I don't know what time you usually feed, but would you mind going ahead now, since I need to see about getting that medicine distributed to the other humans as soon as possible?"

"That would be fine, Megumi-dono, that it would," I answered, and she followed me to… well, actually, I didn't know where we should go.  The bedroom, where I usually fed, was out of the question.  There was no way I could feed on anyone with someone there, much less feed on a stranger with my wife in the room.  There was nowhere else that guaranteed privacy except the bathroom, and someone might need to use that.  The living room seemed like the only place even remotely appropriate, if such a place existed, so I led her there.  As she walked, she gathered her long, loose black hair and pulled it over one shoulder to expose her neck.  A vampire could feed from any place, but the neck was most traditional.

Fortunately, Tsubame seemed to have found somewhere else to explore, so I didn't have to ask her to leave.  Megumi very likely wouldn't care, but I had associated this in my mind with a special bond between my wife and me that I couldn't think about doing it with someone else present without wrinkling my nose.  She stood there next to me, waiting patiently for me to choose a position and at least partially get over my obvious discomfort.  Lying down was not an option, but standing was never a good idea for feeding, since the human would probably get dizzy and fall down.

I motioned for her to sit on the couch and I followed her.  I had been the epitome of steel resolve during the fiasco with Shishio, but I had butterflies now.  She positioned herself perfectly to make it as easy as possible for me to reach her neck.  I leaned toward her and closed my eyes.  As my lips got closer and closer to her neck, I felt more and more disgusting.  They touched her, and I could feel her heartbeat accelerating.  My teeth never made it to her skin.  I pulled away.

"I can't do it, Megumi-dono," I mumbled shamefacedly.

"You're going to have to, Ken-san, if you want both of you to survive this ordeal.  It's all right; you can have more time to get used to the idea.  We'll try again in the morning, okay?"  She cajoled compassionately.

"Yes, Megumi-dono.  We can do that," I answered, still not thinking I could.

Misao came by after Megumi left, saying Aoshi had asked her to do so.  He apparently wanted to go and see if he could find more news on the hunter, but Misao certainly didn't see it that way.  She didn't know about it yet, and still believed Aoshi was seeing another woman, as Kaoru probably did as well.  It was a good thing Megumi didn't know anything about him, because then he'd have every female he knew hating him.  Misao had spread her side of the story well.

"I hate that Aoshi-sama!  He's probably out with _her_ right now!  I know you take his side, Himura-san, but you should see how he acts at home.  He barely _looks_ at me!  There is no way you can say he's not seeing someone if you've seen that,"

"Calm down, Misao-dono.  He is simply worried for your safety, I'm sure.  Aoshi loves you, that he does,"

"I would love to believe that, Himura-san, but it's just not true.  As much as I have always loved him, I guess I could never make him love me in return,"

"Misao-dono, do you remember when you first married Aoshi?  You couldn't have doubted his love for you then,"

She smiled in a kind of silly way, probably thinking back on times it would have been unladylike to repeat to anyone else.  She reveled in it for a few moments, and then seemed to remind herself that she was angry.

"I hate you, Aoshi-sama!"  She shouted.

"Uuuuhhhhh…" I heard from my bedroom.  

She had awakened Kaoru.  I ran to her side and as she was waking up, she asked what all the shouting was about.  I vaguely explained in a dismissing way so as to calm her and not worry her about Aoshi's and Misao's nonexistent marital problems.  She mumbled and pulled me closer to her, laying her head in my lap and promptly going back to sleep.  I smiled sadly own at her, contemplating her perfect innocence and the fact that I knew I was going to betray her, albeit with her approval, with her very own doctor just before dawn.  For all that I didn't _want_ to do it, I still couldn't convince myself that it was not wrong that I was _going_ to do it.

I stayed there with her, stroked her hair, and wondered if there was any way I could be doing the right thing with Megumi until she woke up again, this time without Misao's help.  She smiled at me and kissed me until I felt like such a snake, I couldn't stand to be around myself.  Aoshi eventually came and retrieved Misao, and for all her shouting about hating him, she couldn't tear her eyes away from him as they left.  Tsubame, whom I hadn't seen much during the night, came in to inquire after Kaoru's health and told me she'd been out.  I had faced everyone except Megumi.

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Once again, I will not be updating this story on Saturday, as I am updating "Island Tiger" on that day.  Thank you for your patience!

Yuhi-thedoerofevildeeds: glad you like it, and that you are allowed into your own account now…

Invader Zim: the length of the story is very much up in the air right now, but I have a good amount planned out.  As to your other question, well, that's a surprise.

Cattibrie393: did you mean the action was fast, or me updating it was fast?  Either way, glad you liked it.


	23. You Know?

**The Sacred Night, Chapter 22**

****

I sat still with Kaoru lying on my lap.  I knew I would have to feed when Megumi came back, and that that moment was drawing nearer all the time.  If I was lucky, I thought, maybe she would come home after I was already asleep.  It was getting close to daylight.  I wanted to open the window and see how close it was, and possibly even fall asleep more quickly if the sun was already starting to come out, but I didn't want to disturb Kaoru by getting up.  I wished she would wake up so I could do that, or leave, or something other than face Megumi, or even so I could talk to her, but I also knew she needed the rest and I wasn't going to take it from her.

I heard footsteps outside, and then a door opening downstairs.  I heard footsteps come up the stairs, began to feel the doctor's ki, and eventually heard the door to our apartment open.  She put a few things away and came into the bedroom.  I watched her take Kaoru's pulse and a few other vital signs, but then she looked at me, and there was no avoiding it any longer.

I didn't need prompting, and I followed her to the living room, where Tsubame sat.  Megumi whispered something to her and she left politely, not even seeming upset.  It was amazing how women could understand each other without saying much.  It was like they read each others' minds, even the humans.  She sat down, assuming the position I had chosen before was still my preference, and I followed suit.  I leaned toward her exposed neck again, hungrier this time since I had gone longer without feeding.

"I'm sorry, Megumi-dono," I apologized for my complete inability to comply with the doctor's orders.

"Is there anything I can do to make you more comfortable with this?  A certain position, or something of that nature?"  She asked, always the professional.

"Well, my wife and I always lie down on our bed, but we can't do that, Megumi-dono,"

"We could lie down right here," she offered.

"Megumi-dono, I really don't think that would be appropriate, that I don't,"

"Why not?  It's not as if we're going to make love, for the sake of all kami.  You need to feed in order to live.  I can help you, and your wife can't right now.  There's nothing wrong with that," she explained calmly.  "She even told you to do this, didn't she?"

"Yes, she did," I surrendered.

We lay down.  It was the only way I could handle it, and for some reason it _did_ help, but I felt the most familiar sensation in the world wash over me the entire time: guilt.  I made sure not to touch her in any way that wasn't necessary, and I came away feeling full, but like I had stolen everything I had consumed.  It was almost as if I had killed her to take the life energy that she deserved to have and I didn't.  She hadn't minded in the least, however, and while I was sure Kaoru was more bothered by it than she told me, I knew I hated myself more than either of them hated me.  I went immediately to my spot under the window, falling asleep only because the sun forced me to do so.  If I had been human, it would have been a sleepless twenty four hours.

Fortunately, in the wake of our procuring the cure for the humans' illness, things began to return to normal, as humans got better at different rates and one by one, vampires got their normal amounts of nourishment from donors brought in from other areas.  The reckless killing stopped, and as yet no vampires had died of starvation, because even if they didn't want to harm humans, many couldn't control themselves.  We weren't a species known for our restraint.

Tsubame eventually went home, but expressed a desire to keep contact with us, to which we agreed.  Misao still came to my house and yelled about hating Aoshi every time he had to leave for any reason, because he refused to leave her alone.  As much as she hated him when he brought her, she always seemed to adore him again when he came to take her home.  I surmised that she was irritated and bored out of her mind because she had to stay home all the time when se wasn't with me.  I didn't really go out much, either, because I wanted to be there whenever Kaoru happened to awake.  Sano came and visited her sometimes, too, but after he woke her up so many times with his booming voice, he had to be told when she was awake so he could come then.

Almost any time I wasn't feeding or doing laundry, I was with Kaoru.  Even when she was asleep, I stayed with her, and more often than not, became her pillow in some way or another.  I would open the window and we would look out on the new, modern Tokyo we loved almost as much as the old one.  She loved the stars and the fireflies, and told me how she loved the sun, though I never saw her in it.  She couldn't leave the room, or the bed, for that matter, yet, so the window provided the only scenery she really saw other than her visitors.

She was curled up with her head on my lap at about four AM one night, telling me about the fireflies near a particular lake near where she'd lived before I met her and we had lived together until the wooden walls and tatami floors had gotten beyond repair, or at least beyond more modern builders' abilities to repair, and we'd had to move on with the times.  There were flowers and trees, she told me, and in the summer, fireflies lit it up and made everything green.

"I wish I had shown you then, Kenshin.  It was beautiful, but it's probably not there anymore,"

"It sounds beautiful, Kaoru-dono," I answered, but at that moment, the person I least wanted to see in the world came in.  It didn't matter that she was a wonderful, nice, intelligent woman or that my stomach looked forward to her presence even if my mind didn't.  I didn't want to leave Kaoru and I didn't want to feed on another person, but I was fairly used to it, so I went without complaint or hesitation.  I told myself for the fiftieth time that I needed to do this to ensure Kaoru's safety, which was true, but it sounded a lot less convincing coming from my own mind.  I went with Megumi to the living room and fed as usual, but this time when I finished, she let her eyes stay closed and didn't get up right away.

"Megumi-dono, are you all right?"  I asked, hoping I hadn't taken too much and made her pass out.

"Mmmm?"  She purred sleepily, turning to look at me.

"I thought you fainted," I explained.

"Mm, no, just… lingering,"

"Lingering?"

"You picked the perfect image tonight,"

"Did I?  Kaoru-dono was just telling me about a place that looked like that when she was a teenager,"

"Please don't talk about her,"

"Why not, Megumi-dono?  Is something wrong?"

"This is practically the only time she's not around.  Do you have to bring her into everything?"

"I don't understand, Megumi-dono,"

She closed her eyes and sighed.  "Never mind.  You're a vampire.  Figure it out," she sat up and waited impatiently for me to figure it out.  All right, I would do as she asked.  I moved straight through the boundaries of her mind, which were completely unguarded, as I had expected them to be.

_Ken-san… you're so beautiful._

_I'm very flattered, Megumi-dono, but…_

_I mean you're a beautiful, **person**, Ken-san…so dedicated to her and so genuinely sorry for everything._

_Everything?_

_Yes, I know who you are, Ken-san.  I've known since the night you told Tsubame, and that's why I wanted you to feed on me._

_You wanted me to… because… I… that's disgusting!_

_No, Ken-san.  I don't admire you for what you did then.  I admire you for how you've changed.  I know I can't have you like she can, but I can understand you better._

_Megumi-dono, I have known my wife one hundred twenty-six years-_

_I know that.  You know each other very well, but she could never understand, could she?  Not really._

_I can't blame her for that, Megumi-dono.  I would not wish such experiences on her._

_But it would be nice to know someone else understood, wouldn't it?_

_That would never happen.  I hope no one else has done all those things… I **know** no one else has been as bad._

_That's not true, Ken-san.  You feel as if you're the lowest, most vile sinner ever born.  You don't think you deserve to live.  You don't think you can ever become clean again.  You see yourself and every wrongdoing you've ever committed when you close your eyes.  You don't think you have the right to be happy, even in dreams, so you don't dream._

_Vampires don't dream._

**_You_**_ don't.  Others do._

_Aoshi doesn't.  Tsubame-dono doesn't.  Sano doesn't._

_Misao does._

_Misao?_

_You don't dream because you refuse to dream, Ken-san.  Everything else I said was true, too, wasn't it?_

_Well, I… yes.  It was.  How did you know?_

_I have secrets, too._

At that moment, I felt the tiny guards she kept going back up.  I could have stayed and extorted more information from her, but I didn't want to pry if she didn't want to tell me.  My mind felt very… full.  Even though she had denied physical attraction was the cause of her behavior, I could tell it was there.  Now I understood why she hadn't wanted me to talk about Kaoru.  I didn't think I should continue feeding on hr if she felt that way about it, but who else was there?  I supposed a donor could be brought, but would Megumi be offended if I didn't want to feed on her anymore?  It wasn't fair to allow it to continue, because then how would she feel when Kaoru got better and I went back to feeding on her?  I had to stop this before she got too attached, and she _would_ get attached, no matter how professional she tried to be.

I knew I should be a friend to her, since she obviously had a painful past as well and she felt I could empathize, which I probably could.  Perhaps she could even sympathize with my feelings, but I told myself that was impossible.  Megumi was a wonderful woman.  She was a doctor, the gods' sakes.  She couldn't have done anything as bad as what I had.  No one could.

I went back to Kaoru still confused about exactly what I should do, and felt worse in her presence.  She was so beautiful, sleeping like she didn't have a care in the world, probably dreaming.  She even had a smile on her face.  She was the picture of innocence, just like the lake she said was so beautiful with fireflies in the summer.  Did she have secrets, too, just like Megumi?  I had revealed everything to her, and she had still accepted me with open arms, saying she wanted me as I was at that moment and the past didn't matter.

I loved her more than I ever had at that moment.  Perhaps Megumi had been correct when she said it would be nice to know someone who understood, but I didn't need Kaoru to understand.  She understood that it was painful for me, and it was probably painful to her, too.  That was enough.  It was even nice to know that she didn't understand.  I didn't have to see the knowledge of it reflected in her eyes to remind me.  I didn't have to face her scorn at the full horror of my nature, because she would never see it, no matter how much I told her.

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remember, people, no chapter Saturday, so don't beat me up for not posting!

PraiseDivineMercy:  I suppose it could be called a love triangle, but since Kenshin is not actually attracted to Megumi, I'm not sure it qualifies.  I wasn't planning on detailing how they met, but I did mention it briefly in the chapter where enishi has been defeated and they are waiting for a boat to leave the island.  Basically, they met the same way as in the manga.

Kenshin's My Man: oh PLEASE.  If you know Kenshin like I do, you know there is no way he will not beat himself up if he has the opportunity.  I have already discussed Kaoru's feelings, though not at length.  It makes her sad, but she knows it's important and urges him to go ahead.  Cute nameJ.

Yuhi-thedoerofevildeeds: did you not like it?  What was the matter?

Invader Zim:  I love your long reviews full of questions!  There is no review I like better than a good, long one.  The issue of men and laundry is an old standby with humor in Kenshin fics, and I just had to stick it in there at least once.  Besides, I find it interesting that by and large, throughout RK the men don't have jobs and the women do.  "bruja sangre" is Spanish for "witch blood."  I realize a vamp is not a witch, but when vampire lore was at its height, all legions of the devil (lol) ie. Witches, demons, vamps, etc. were lumped together.  What it boils down to is that when I was making up the name, I decided "bruja" is a prettier word and more mysterious than "vampiro."  Yes, Kenshin has found someone, but he's kicking and screaming…


	24. The Other Shoe

**The Sacred Night, Chapter 23**

** **

I saw her leave.  Misao had to be going crazy with Aoshi keeping her on house arrest, especially when she didn't know why yet.  She crept out as quietly as she could, which, believe me, is incredibly quietly.  I was a vampire and I didn't even hear.  If it was possible for anyone to hide from a vampire, the ninja girl could have done it.  Unfortunately for her, or fortunately, depending on how you look at it, there was no hiding from any decently intelligent vampire.  Misao knew this, but was probably past the point of caring.

I had to feel sorry for her, since she had only seen six people since her husband had begun refusing to leave her alone.  It was all for her safety, but Aoshi could be a bit intense sometimes and not realize the stress he put on people.  I didn't stop her, since she needed some air, but I did keep a very close watch.  I sensed her walking out of the building and across the street.  She walked very slowly and in a kind of wavy line, like she was just wandering aimlessly.  If she decided to teleport somewhere I couldn't sense her, I was in deep trouble when Aoshi found out, so I thought it prudent to tell her what I was doing.

_Misao-dono,_

_Himura-san!  Please don't tell Aoshi-sama!_

_I wasn't planning on it.  I know you need some air, but I just wanted to warn you that wherever you walk, I'll follow closely enough to sense you, and if you teleport, we will both be in a bad situation._

_All right.  I'll stay in the city, then.  Just don't tell Aoshi-sama._

I kept her in my senses, but nothing was happening.  She was just walking around the city after dark, like any adult should be able to do.  Whoever this hunter was probably didn't keep a very close watch over her, because this seemed like the perfect opportunity.  She was alone and they shouldn't have been able to sense me watching, but I disguised my ki as much as I could just in case.  I wondered just how competent this hunter could be, and if there in fact was any such person.  She was just standing on the sidewalk, calmly speaking to a human male.  Aoshi may have been the slightly jealous type, but this particular individual didn't seem to produce much of a response from Misao.  She was probably giving him directions or something like that.

I was suspicious, and Misao was well within my range of senses, so I scanned the surrounding area for any outstanding ki I didn't know.  None were within my range, so I doubted anyone dangerous could sense her.  They couldn't be following her, so the only way they could get to her now would be to have a vampire teleport into a planned place blindly once he or she had been signaled that she had walked into it, and what were the odds of that?  They'd have to be a team of both vampire and human, which was not unheard of, but relatively uncommon, since it is difficult to work closely with someone who considers you fair game for his or her next meal.

Before I could think any more about it, exactly what I'd feared began to transpire.  Several strong ki appeared close to Misao and the human male, who did not seem afraid or surprised by their coming.  Misao began to fight, but was dismally outnumbered and captured quickly.  I was there in less than a heartbeat, sword in hand, heedless of the suspicion it would arouse in passersby, if in fact they took notice of anything in such a crowd.  Never one to jump into an easily preventable fight, I tried the direct approach.

"Let her go," I commanded, sword pressed to the neck of the human who, ironically enough, seemed to be the leader.  The vampires fingered their weapons, which were much less conspicuous things like knives or even guns, but waited for the order.  The human nodded, and the four others converged in me.  I removed my sword from its position holding him, since I knew he would be the only one not concentrating on me, and that Misao could easily best him should he try anything.  In the meantime, I brought my focus to the four vampires surrounding me.

As vampires, they had a natural advantage over humans in speed, among many other things, but none of that would work with me.  As a human, I had been almost as fast as a slow vampire; as a vampire, I was ultraviolet.  I ducked between them as they danced around me, searching for my ki image in the absence of visual input.  They were about average for vampires, and thus not nearly as good as others I'd beaten.  To be fair, though, I had never fought a vampire I hadn't beaten.  When I was alive, my shishou had been the only human who could match my skill, and he had surpassed it by thousands of times.  I didn't know if he could still do that now that I was a vampire, but I was afraid to find out.  They barely knew what had hit them, and soon there were only Misao, the human, and me standing.

"Let her go," I ordered again, putting away my weapon.  The human appeared to consider it, and then got an inquiring look.

"May I ask you something first?"  I nodded, too impatient to waste words.  "Are you, by chance, the… ah, I see you are!"  He exclaimed, pointing as if to punctuate his words.  "I'm honored to meet you, Battousai-san.  My name is Takeda Kanryuu.  I had no idea you were connected to this young lady and her husband.  Are you close?"

"That doesn't matter.  Let her go,"

"We'll get to that, Battousai-san, be patient," he cajoled, not succeeding in making me more patient.  "I'd like to make you an offer you can't refuse,"

"I'm certain I can,"

"I'll pay you ten times the amount I paid all four of them together,"

"To be your bodyguard?"

"Yes, but also to do other things, as the situation demands,"

"Capture, fight, kill?  I don't want to do those things.  Let her go,"

"She's free!  Go on, girl, get out of here.  Now will you talk to me rationally?"  Misao disappeared, and I sensed her back in my house shortly.

"Will you leave her alone?"

"I can't promise anything…" my hand went back to the hilt of my sword, and he got the point.  "Anyway, I would pay you very generously,"

"I don't care.  I don't want to work for someone who kidnaps innocents for no reason,"

"I have a reason.  Perhaps not a reason you would approve of, but then I didn't ask your approval, did I?"

"Why?"

"Her husband broke an agreement we had, and I need her to make him see reason,"

"You have a grudge against Aoshi," I restated more truthfully.

"Yes, if you want to put it bluntly, I suppose I do,"

I was tempted to ask what Aoshi had done- or not done- to incur this man's wrath, but I decided that would be best left between them.  I knew all I needed to know and didn't feel like discussing what he would pay me if I wanted to work for him, which I didn't.  I informed him I was leaving and did exactly that.  I was back in my house soon, thoroughly annoyed, but getting over it since the man couldn't find me to begin making offers again.  That was one perk to being a vampire: I could sense humans and follow them anywhere faster than they could walk, or even drive, there, but they couldn't follow me unless I allowed them to do so.

I wasn't convinced he was finished with Misao yet, either, so I felt certain I had to confess my lax to Aoshi, since he obviously had more knowledge on the situation and was closer to it than I was.  I didn't look forward to his reaction, but it had to be done.  I wanted to see if I could talk to Kaoru in the meantime.  I probably couldn't tell her much, if anything, of what I'd found out, but perhaps I could help her stop worrying and redeem Aoshi in her esteem.  I didn't know, but it was worth a shot.

It didn't matter anyway- she was sleeping again, and I didn't disturb her.  I went to try and sort out what I would say to Aoshi, which wouldn't be easy.  I didn't want to think about what he would do when he found out I had almost let Misao get killed.  Knowing Aoshi, he would use the most intimidating weapon he possessed: his bizarre ninja silence.  By far the scariest thing about him was that he could remain calm, right down to the eyes, when there was a storm going on inside.  His ki was even difficult to read.

Aoshi eventually came to find Misao so they could go home together.  I dreaded it, but there was no avoiding telling him the truth, unless I planned on handling the situation myself, which I doubted could be done, given the personal nature of the reason for the hunter's actions.  I asked him to stay and talk to me in private.  We went to the small balcony, the closest thing to privacy that could really be achieved with Misao there.  We could both resist her efforts to hack into our minds, but only if we were aware they were going on.  Misao was the stealthiest person I had ever met when she wanted to be, and her loudness other times only made her skill in silence more surprising.  Aoshi stood and waited for me to speak.

"I know who is after Misao-dono, that I do," I began.  There was no visible reaction except a nod, but I could imagine that if anything, he was probably confused as to how I could have that knowledge, especially when he didn't.  "She went outside tonight, and a bound human with four vampires attacked her," he began scanning my house for Misao's familiar ki, but found it and seemed satisfied.

"You let her go outside when I told you I thought it was too dangerous," he stated firmly, more to point out to me that he knew than to find out.

"Yes, I did," I answered.  My reasons weren't important right then.  I had disobeyed.  I doubted there would be consequences other than what had already started, though.  Aoshi was silent for a moment, but went on.

"You said you know who it is,"

"The human said his name was Takeda Kanryuu," I didn't continue, since if the man's motives were as he had said, his name should be familiar to Aoshi and tell him everything he needed.  Aoshi was silent again.

"I understand," he finished simply, leaving with Misao to ponder the situation alone.

In spite of the danger I had put Misao in, I could not help but think I had done her a service.  If she hadn't gotten attacked that night, I wasn't sure we would have ever found out who was behind the effort to capture her, or it would have taken longer, at least.  Misao wouldn't have seen the moon for ages.  There was one other thing.  Since Misao now knew Aoshi's reason for acting as he had, she would no longer suspect him of cheating on her with the human he had bound, and since she knew, there was no point left in keeping it a secret from anyone else.

Perhaps I should tell Kaoru about it, because she also was rather unforgiving of Aoshi.  If I told her the truth, though, she would worry, and was worry better than resentment?  If I let her think Aoshi was cheating on Misao, she would distrust him for quite sometime, even after it was proven that he had done no such thing.  She may someday need to trust Aoshi, and her life may depend on it.

"Kaoru-dono?"  I whispered, in case she was still asleep.

"Kenshin?"  She asked sleepily, rolling over toward me.

"Were you asleep?  Don't let me bother you,"

"No, Kenshin, it's fine.  I'll talk to you any time of the day or night," she smiled, and I smiled back.

"Do you remember when I told you I was sure Aoshi was not cheating on Misao-dono, but couldn't tell you why?"  She nodded.  "Misao-dono knows about it now, so I don't think Aoshi will mind if I tell you," she sat up, ready to listen attentively.  Misao was important to her, and if something threatened to make her unhappy, Kaoru would do her best to banish it.  "A hunter is after her, and Aoshi did not want her to worry, but thought she would be safer if she were not left alone.  Tonight she went outside and the hunter attacked her, but she was not hurt, that she wasn't.  Aoshi knows who it is now, and it will all be taken care of soon,"

"I feel so bad about being angry with Aoshi now," she mumbled after a pause.

"I think he will forgive you, that he will," 

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Cattibrie393: yes, Misao is often funny.  I adore her, as well as Aoshi- he's such an enigmatic and mysterious character, you can't help but wonder about him.

Kenshin's My Man: glad you like it.  I wasn't going for fluff with this fic, though.  Really, angst is my thing, and I thought I was accomplishing it.  Glad you're writing a story, though.  I can always use more vamp stories to read!  If it's going to take awhile to get it posted, email it to me, please.

Asuka the Ice Demon: so you're another Sano fan.  I dunno, I never really enjoyed him as much as the others, but I like him some.  Glad you're awaiting my story so anxiously… I try to update every Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday, but occasionally I can't.  glad everyone's in character… I've got someone in an upcoming chapter I'm afraid might mar that unblemished record…

Yuhi-thedoerofevildeeds: glad you like it, and sorry if the chapter was short.  I usually try to make them 2000 words.

Invader Zim: yes, Kaoru will be better eventually, but it's coming slowly.  I should be updating on schedule until further notice!  Kenshin has this thing about feeling guilty whether or not he should… it's one of the most endearing things about him, though it's so sad.  I love your long reviews!


	25. The Beginning of A Story

**The Sacred Night, Chapter 24**

I didn't know if I'd scared this Takeda person enough to make him stay away from Misao or if he would assemble a larger and theoretically better force and try again.  We knew about him already, so there would be no point in waiting around for Misao to wander outside without us again.  He should have known that wasn't going to happen.  Perhaps, though, it would be enough for him if we never allowed her out of our sight again for fear of him.  Misao's and Aoshi's marriage would be ruined, and Misao would be miserable the rest of her life with or without Aoshi.

I was just in the midst of wondering whether that was what he wanted us to do and if he would attack us wherever Misao happened to be at his chosen time when the clock struck four.  It would be light in less than two hours and I had yet to feed.  I still had not come to a decision about Megumi, so I hadn't said anything to her.  She still expected me to feed on her, and I had been doing so.  I felt suspended, like I could probably never really figure out what I thought was right in this case, but had to keep thinking about it anyway.

I knew Kaoru didn't mind.  Really, she did mind, but she told me she didn't.  She was saddened by the situation, but felt it was necessary and didn't complain.  She would certainly feel better if I didn't feed on Megumi, but there was still the reason I had begun doing so in the first place.  It would be dangerous for me to feed on Kaoru even once she was better if I was starved.  I supposed another donor could be found in the meantime, but I was already used to Megumi and doubted I would adjust well to a third person.  Besides, feeding had been special to me since I married Kaoru, and I didn't want to involve any more people in it than necessary.  I would feel worse having a third human to feed on than I had when I got a second.

Many vampires didn't even have the luxury of feeding exclusively on one person, much less their own spouses.  If both the husband and wife were vampires, sometimes they would feed on one another, but they couldn't survive on it.  They had to feed on humans whether they or their spouses liked it or not.  Most vampires didn't marry and fed on different humans every night, which was their choice, but still wasn't very fulfilling, I knew.  Some of them were single and still fed on the same human all of the time, but were not romantically involved with the humans, or at least not at the start.  I had married twice, feeding exclusively on my wife each time, but in between the two, I had fed only when I was too starved to keep myself away from whatever human happened to be closest, and then there had been Misao.

It was difficult to tell if, given time, my relationship with Tomoe would have become as close as my relationship with Kaoru was.  The years we had known and loved each other had allowed us to become so intimate that, while I could predict her actions from the beginning, now she could predict mine.  I knew things about her that I'd never known about Tomoe.  What was her favorite flower to pick in the spring?  What made her happiest?  I didn't know, and yet I knew we had loved each other as much.  Either Kaoru or I would be willing to die for the other, just as she had.

Many people knew who I had been before I met Tomoe, and a few people knew who I was after, but very few knew why I had changed.  I wondered if Megumi would like to hear the story, since she took such interest in my change.  It might help her if I told her, since she claimed to have had similar experiences with trying to repair wrongs.  Next time she asked, I would be open to telling her, but I didn't want to bring it up.  It would hurt to tell, as it had hurt when I told Kaoru, Sano, Aoshi, and Misao, but if it would help her, I would tell her everything.

I heard her begin to come up the stairs to my house and knew she would be entering soon, ready to be fed on after she checked on Kaoru.  I wondered what dream I should give her when I fed.  I could use it to tell my story if she asked about it.  She did ask about it periodically, but I usually evaded the question pretty well.  Tonight I wouldn't.

She came in using Kaoru's key, since Kaoru couldn't leave anyway, though she was beginning to stand and walk with my help.  She took off her shoes and turned to lock the door behind her, which I didn't think was necessary, but it made Kaoru feel better to keep it locked.  All the locks in the world couldn't keep a vampire in or out, and a human we didn't know would never come into our house uninvited unless he or she intended to steal something, and there wasn't much around to steal with only one income normally and zero now.  Kaoru was receiving a meager long-term illness benefit while off work, and that mainly covered hers and Megumi's food.

Megumi came back to the dimly lit living room after checking Kaoru's vital signs and making whatever adjustments she thought necessary.  She waited for me to make room for her on the couch and lay down next to me, looking at me as if she waned to say something, but paused for some reason.  I waited to see if she would speak, and eventually she did.

"Ken-san, will you tell me what caused you to change so much someday?  I know you're not ready now, but someday?"

"Actually, Megumi-dono, I was just thinking about that.  Would you like to hear some of the story while I feed?"

"Very much," she answered, and I began my tale in her mind.

_I drank rabidly, consuming the ki of my prey, a nameless, faceless victim on a dateless, timeless night.  I cast it aside and sat back, satisfied and full.  I sensed another behind me and my mood soured.  Perhaps this human had known that one.  She would be sad…_

_"Vampire-san," she said, startling me.  I sensed her curiosity and disgust, but had never had a human address me after seeing something like this.  I turned to face her so she would know I was listening.  "Do you have to kill every time?"  My eyes narrowed.  _

_"Yes," I answered and stood, turning away from her._

_"Vampire-san, wait," she called, still much calmer than any human should be in her situation.  Why wasn't she afraid of me?  I turned impatiently again and waited for her to speak.  "If a human were willing to donate blood, would you kill that one, too?"_

_I had to think about that.  I had never had a human offer herself to me, or even speak to me as if I was not a monstrosity when she knew what I was.  When they didn't know, they offered plenty, but the offer didn't stay open long after they found out just what they were seeking.  "I don't see how it would make a difference.  I need a certain amount, and it's too much for any human,"_

_"You couldn't take it over a longer period of time so the human could recuperate?" She didn't sound pleading.  She was accusing me._

_What was this lady trying to do?  Even if a human was willing to let me do that, I didn't know if it would work.  All this would accomplish was making me feel sorry for them, and then I couldn't live my own life properly.  I wished she would stop talking._

_"Come see me next time," she invited, pointing toward a dwelling I assumed was hers.  I nodded and disappeared.  It was getting close to dawn anyway.  I found a nice, open spot where I knew the sun would find me quickly._

"Oh, Ken-san," she sighed when I finished.  She laid her head on my shoulder and I wasn't sure what to do.  I didn't want to offend her, but she was getting a little close… "I'm so sorry," she continued.

"Megumi-dono, you didn't do anything wrong, you didn't," I corrected, glad of the excuse to pull away from her without seeming rude.

"It must be so hard to be a vampire," I didn't answer.  It was, but I didn't want to complain.  I deserved any hardship it might bring on me, and Megumi didn't deserve to be burdened with it.  "You don't have to be quiet about it, Ken-san.  I know how it feels to regret things,"

"Megumi-dono, you are a nice woman.  You haven't done anything so terrible.  You have never killed anyone, ne?"

"Not with a weapon," she answered and stood, leaving me to wonder what that meant.  Surely she hadn't actually killed someone, but what else could that statement be referring to?  Maybe she had hurt someone emotionally and was speaking metaphorically.  That had to be it- there was no way the kind doctor could have killed… wait.  Perhaps she was referring to her job as a doctor.  She had probably lost patients; anyone would after practicing medicine over one hundred years.

I didn't know how long she had, but I could sense that she was almost as old as I was, and assumed she had had the same career for most of her life.  Perhaps she held herself responsible for her lost patients, but that was not the same as what I felt.  It had been beyond her ability to save the patients, while I had willingly and knowingly killed countless humans without exerting any effort not to do so.  I was beginning to feel sleepy, so I knew dawn would come shortly.  I went to say good day to Kaoru before lying down.

"Good day," I smiled at her.  She was sitting up in bed.

"Good day," she smiled back.  I turned to go lie down on the couch as usual, but she called me back.  "Stay here with me," she smoothed her hand over my side of the bed.

"I'm tired, Kaoru-dono, and you should sleep, too,"

"I know," she said, looking at me like I was missing something obvious.

"I can't sleep here, Kaoru-dono.  I might…" actually, I couldn't think of anything dangerous I might do.  She wasn't actually sick anymore, just weak, so there was no danger to me, though there probably wouldn't have been anyway.  Vampires slept like the dead, which made a lot of sense if you thought about it, so I wouldn't move around and injure her.  At least, I thought all vampires did, but I'd also thought no vampires dreamt.  In any case, I slept that way, so there was no cause to worry.  I had assumed there was a reason I shouldn't sleep in here during her illness, but I couldn't think of one right then.  "All right, Kaoru-dono," I relented happily and lay down next to her.  A finger of guilt tugged at my heart for acting so nonchalant after what I had just done, but I brushed it aside.  "I can't wait until you're better," I whispered into her neck.

"Me either," she answered, threading her arms around me to pull herself closer.  We stayed like that until the sun rose.  We held each other pleasantly, she breathing slowly and I listening in the dark.  I didn't move once; I didn't want to shatter the peace we had.  I lost more and more consciousness as the room got brighter and Kaoru's face became more defined in the light.  Eventually, I was completely unaware of the world and dreaming of the lake surrounded by fireflies.

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Man, Kenshin seems like a little player in this chapter, doesn't he?  Three women in just 2000 words.  

Cattibrie393: glad you like it.  as far as what to write, it would be helpful if you told me specifically why you like it, and any negative comments you have are appreciated as well, for they help me improve in a way "this is good" simply cannot.  this story is not really meant for "action," though there is the occasional bit, but there will be some soon, in case that's what you want.

Yuhi-thedoerofevildeeds: well, yes, i do like to update every time i'm online, but it's not so bad as it might seem, since i write awhile in advance.  right now, i'm writing chapter 26, though you are only reading chapter 24.  Kaoru will be better, but it will be a slow process.

Invader Zim: i'm very flattered, but confused.  how do i do what?  specify and i'll be glad to tell you!  very cute… Kenshin should be yours… ha.  i think everyone here knows he loves ME.  lol.  as to Kanryuu, he has a grudge against Aoshi, so he's taking it out on Misao.


	26. Another Story

The Sacred Night, Chapter 25 

"Take her.  They've come," Aoshi commanded curtly, depositing Misao.  She was a little indignant, but didn't complain loudly about being left.  He went to leave her, like so many times before, yet not at all like the other times.  This time there was a threat.  They had sought her out, and Aoshi was fighting them.  "They want to talk to you, too, Battousai," he added hesitantly.  I wished he wouldn't still insist on calling me that, but this was not the time to argue about it.

I followed him out, annoyed that they had requested my presence.  I knew who "they" must be, and I had already made it clear that I did not want to work for them.  I still needed to be there, though, since there was obviously a danger from which I could protect the others, and if it came down to it, since the Takeda man seemed to value my services and possibly my opinion, I might be able to sway him.  We arrived in the street in front of Aoshi's and Misao's house to find a number of vampires and Takeda waiting.

I debated asking Sano to come.  He could undoubtedly help a lot, but I didn't want to involve him unless it was necessary, in spite of the way he might say I'd hogged all the fun later.  It couldn't hurt to have him there, however, and there were a lot of vampires, so I eventually told him where we were and what was transpiring.  He appeared before I'd finished my sentence.

The two of us stood behind Aoshi, and the group of vampires we didn't know gathered behind the Takeda man.  The two of them walked slowly toward one another, just like in a movie.  They glared daggers, but no clash of weapons would occur between the two of them.  There would be only words, and then the group of vampires would be signaled to converge on us.

"My wife has nothing to do with our differences," Aoshi accused.  Even the densest human could tell what he felt at that moment, though his face betrayed nothing.

"Shinomori-san, I have rebuilt my enterprises without you, but I didn't appreciate being forced to do it.  You are the one that pulled out when the heat got too much for you, and since the girl ties herself to the traitor, she ties herself to the treachery.  You did enough damage letting the woman escape- you didn't have to get self-righteous so suddenly,"

I had no idea what the man meant by that.  I had no memory of him or any events he had mentioned thus far, and while Aoshi didn't tell me all of his business by any stretch of the imagination, I had a feeling that I would have been involved in this, had I known him at the time.  I was briefly glad that whatever seemingly innocent woman had been caught up in the affair had gotten free, but didn't have time to ponder it any deeper than that.

"Fine.  I will never agree with you and I don't want to talk about it.  If you're going to start a fight, do it now, and if not, then leave,"

At the end of Aoshi's sentence, Takeda raised his hand and the vampires rushed forward.  I got into a ready stance, waiting for whichever vampires would target me to come.  It didn't matter if they all came at once.  I didn't imagine they would be very skilled, judging by not only the skill of the first group I'd encountered, but also by the speed with which he had assembled them.  Some, in fact, were the same men.  Their numbers were simply greater, and in the absence of skill, numbers didn't matter much to me.  They charged, but Aoshi, Sano and I stayed where we were.  Sano was the only one who even _might_ be eager to join this fight, and even he stayed in place.  Perhaps the involvement of the woman had struck him as it had me.  Perhaps he knew more about it than I did.

"Kenshin!  The women!"  Sanosuke shouted before he and the charging vampires all disappeared.  I was struck by his referral to Aoshi's and my wives and the onetime object of his affection, but followed him knowing exactly where he and the vampires would be, if not how he knew to follow them there.  I hadn't sensed anything from them other than the usual fighting emotions, and they hadn't attempted to enter my mind.  I didn't know how Sanosuke had known to follow them, but I was even more shocked that they knew where to go at all.

I arrived inside the house, just in case that was where the attackers had arrived, but it turned out that their information wasn't as specific as I'd feared.  They were in the street below the balcony that adjoined Kaoru's and my bedroom, and I joined them soon.  Aoshi had followed as well, alerted as I was by Sanosuke's shout.  They clearly meant to get in where I'd been, though, and we took up the defensive position outside the building.

The sounds of metal, wood, leather, and flesh impacting against one another needed no time to reach the volume required to wake the good citizens of Tokyo, and the humans must have gotten quite a shock to see what they probably thought was a gang fight, which in some measure maybe it was, in which the participants used such archaic instruments of harm as swords, whips, and arrows along with their bare hands, and in some cases, claws or animal-like teeth.  Kaoru and Megumi were on the balcony above us soon, and though they were intelligent enough not to cry out to us even mentally, they could not mask their fear to us, which stood out against the other humans' because they were familiar.  They soon went inside again, however, when arrows began to seek them.

I immediately felt a flare-up of energy from inside when the two entered, which must have been from Misao.  She seemed to be straining and frustrated, which she often was when danger was present, because Aoshi, like Megumi and Kaoru, would not let her participate in the alleviation of it.  Obviously stronger than either of the other women currently in the house, however, she soon broke away and only anger and fierce concern for her husband could be felt as she flung open a window, making the other women's protests audible.

"Misao, stop, you'll be shot!"

"You're the one they're after!"

"Aoshi will be very angry with you!"

"You don't know what's going on out-" Megumi stopped mid-sentence.  In the few instants those words had taken, Misao had flung a few well-placed kunai which freed Aoshi of any opposition, but Megumi seemed to realize something slightly less positive.  I didn't know what prompted her sudden shock, but she grabbed Misao with more force than I or the small ninja would have thought possible and dragged her away from the window, Kaoru following without being compelled, though more slowly.

Aoshi, now free to assume other duties than fighting, since Sano and I already guarded the remainder, marched with a disturbingly calm stride toward Takeda.  When Aoshi had such a transcendental calm as he had then, one knew he was beyond anger.  He had been angry when I had let Misao go outside.  He had been angry when the men had threatened her.  Now, he was otherworldly.

I didn't doubt that he would kill the man.  It was no my place to interfere, nor did I have the luxury of concentrating on something other than the man in front of me who held a whip that screamed through the air toward me, but I wondered if there was some other way to prevent the man's death.  They exchanged words too low for me to hear, and anyway they were not meant for me.  Takeda called off the remaining vampire still fighting with Sano, though I noticed that this vampire had been unconscious only moments before.  Sano had defeated all of his opponents and kept fighting for reasons only he could understand, though he'd talked briefly and nonchalantly about them before, expecting me to have similar ones.

Takeda stood taller to face Aoshi as the man disappeared, but Sano and I stayed to find out what exactly was going on, standing at a polite distance out of hearing of their hushed conversation.  If something we were permitted to hear took place, they would speak more normally.  Very soon, I heard twin cries from Kaoru and Misao, but still nothing from Megumi.  She seemed to be struck by the scene in a way Misao and Kaoru were not, or by something that would mean nothing to them.  Perhaps she recognized someone among Takeda's men.  I didn't know, but I didn't have time to speculate about it.

Sano and I both went inside immediately, since there appeared to be danger there, but Aoshi understandably stayed behind to take care of Takeda.  We arrived to find Misao fighting viciously against the same man Sano had defeated once and come close to defeating again before he had been sent away by Takeda.  She was actually winning, though she had never been up to Sano's level, but the man was probably tired.  That wasn't much of a handicap to a vampire, so she was really doing well.

Kaoru and Megumi were both watching, Kaoru with a scowl of both concentration and frustration, Megumi barely conscious.  She seemed to be staring into nothing, though her eyes followed the movements of the battle closely.  Kaoru tried to move in front of Megumi as if to protect her, but was shoved back by the still-healthy and thus stronger doctor.  She should have known that would happen, and it seemed to me that Kaoru needed more protection in her weakened state than did Megumi.  Why had she bothered to try?

It wasn't difficult to assess Kaoru's emotions, especially since she was an open book most of the time anyway, but Misao was a blank slate, hiding her ki as was prudent in battle, and Megumi was radiating despair in waves.  She reminded me of… myself, back before I'd met any of the people in the room.  I routinely hid it, of course, but it was there.  Had it always been with her, and simply veiled over by her human mental guards which kept me out not because I couldn't overcome them, but because I respected them?  I doubted I could have failed to recognize it at the forefront of her consciousness, blocked or not.  More likely it was always with her in some capacity, but mercifully overshadowed by other things most of the time.

I began to understand that she had been serious when she said she had secrets, and to get an inkling of what those might be.  Takeda had mentioned something about a woman escaping from him, and though Megumi had not had any real reaction to Aoshi that I'd noticed, he did not seem to be the one she should fear, since he had allowed her to leave.  She had, however, had a significant shock when she saw him and his men outside our house.  Perhaps they were the same men who had attempted to prevent her escape.  She was probably the reason Misao was fighting this vampire in my house right now.

It also didn't take long for Kaoru to notice my presence and attempt to stand up and walk to me without distracting Misao.  I went to her in a speedier and less conspicuous fashion that only vampires could manage.  She whispered greetings and some details of things that had already transpired, and then we settled down to wait.  Sano and I saw no reason to interfere when Misao was clearly not being bullied- she had as likely as not started the fight herself.  The only thing that could be done was to wait.

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i don't know how many chapters there are left, but the story is drawing to a close.  after i resolve the Kanryuu issue and the Kenshin-Megumi issue, there will be a sweet epilogue.

Kenshin's My Man: yes, well, i do love angst.  there will be so much more soon, it will be great.  glad i'm good.  writing is important to me, so i'm glad to hear people like it.  maybe i could make some money at it someday.  cute little smile, btw, was that Kenshin winking?

Cattibrie393: thanks.  i appreciate the effort to help, and if you really don't find anything bad to comment on, just tell me why it was good, but it would be a little arrogant of me to say there's nothing bad to comment on…

Yuhi-thedoerofevildeeds: yes.  writing in advance is less stressful, because i can post often but still not feel like i have to write fast.  in the future, i might actually finish the fic before i start posting it, or at least be really far ahead.

PraiseDivineMercy: thank you so much!  i've never been called brilliant before.  really, i originally didn't know who the hunter would be, but i knew i had to bring it about soon, and i didn't really want it to be an OC, so i picked someone who would have a grudge toward Aoshi.  yes, Megumi made opium in here, and you'll be hearing more about that next chapter.  i like writing about Kenshin and tomoe, and i plan on more of that.


	27. Opium

**The Sacred Night, Chapter 26**

Only a ninja could fight in a Tokyo apartment without damaging anything in the room.  Misao flung kunai once in awhile, but not one touched the walls.  Since her supply of kunai was limited, she relied more on the unarmed techniques Aoshi had nearly bested me with when I first met him.  That Hannya person she had mentioned, her teacher, must have been very good.  In the small apartment, the larger vampire was at a disadvantage to the compact and flexible Misao.  Aoshi, who had recently arrived, was watching approvingly, though with him it was difficult to tell.  She twisted and dodged nimbly, adeptly placing stealthy but accurate blows on the body of the vampire that seemed grotesquely clumsy compared to the agile Misao.

She and Aoshi had similar styles, but not entirely the same.  They both based their techniques on kempo, a style I had only seen them and their associates use, but added different weapons to it.  Aoshi used the two trademark kodachi to defend while he attacked with kempo, but Misao divided her two strategies differently.  She used kunai for long-range attacks and kempo for close range situations.

_Megumi-dono, are you all right?_  I asked mentally from across the room, since she appeared to be in a stupor.

_Hai…_

_Do you have some sort of connection to Takeda-san?  Is that why you have been acting this way ever since you saw something from the window?_

_Y-yes… I suppose I should tell you, Ken-san, _she thought, collecting herself.  _I was an apprentice doctor one hundred thirty years ago… before I was bound.  The doctor that was teaching me died, and they didn't even let me mourn.  I found out that these men, Takeda's men, had been forcing him to make opium for them, and they wanted me to continue in his stead.  I refused, but they told me I didn't have a choice, that I was the only one who knew the formula, but I didn't.  I had no idea what they were talking about.  I had never made opium, I thought.  Then they showed me a vial of medicine I'd made just the day before and smiled.  I'd been making opium all along and didn't even know it._

_                     ~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`Flashback~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`_

"No!"  I screamed.  "That's medicine!  I never made opium!"  I exclaimed defiantly, knowing what they were implying but fighting not to believe it.  One of them grabbed my arm and I yelped.  He jerked me up close to his face and I could smell the smoke, sake, and gods-knew-what-else all over him.

"You've already done it a thousands times, little vixen.  If it's a sin, you're already condemned," he drawled menacingly.  With that, he cast me from him and the whole group left the room, locking me in the place I had always loved most in the world, now my private prison.  I cried, staring around at all of the substances and instruments the doctor and I had used, and wondered how many other ways he had deceived me.  Had we ever really cured a single person?  Had I really been a killer in secret, designing poisons to stop hearts, all along?  I feared I had.  The unearthly strong man was right.  I _was_ already condemned.

                      ~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`_/Flashback_~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`

_That man was a vampire, and he bound me to himself later that night.  He said I would live practically forever and make opium for all of them until I died._

_But Aoshi let you escape._

_Yes._

_What does Aoshi have to do with Takeda?_

_He and four other men- the Oniwabanshuu, I don't know if he's told you about them, were bodyguards for Takeda when I was there.  I tried to kill myself, and Shinomori-san was willing to look the other way and let me use his blade when he knew Takeda would be angry._

_                     ~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`Flashback~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`_

"You're not working," my guard warned.  This time, it was a tall, quiet man in a white coat.  He looked intelligent and intense, though he was probably one of the other brainless fighters my captor hired to keep me in my place and working.  They all seemed so dull-witted, but they could anticipate everything I would do with superb accuracy.  I sometimes felt a strange invasion in my mind before they did this, and I had the suspicion that they had some sort of telepathic ability.  They were also frustratingly strong, as men often were, but these were different.  They never breathed hard, or breathed visibly, for that matter, no matter how much they exerted themselves.  My guards were indeed a strange manner of men.

"I would rather die than continue this shameful occupation," I asserted coldly, never looking at him.  If I didn't continue it, I certainly _would_ die, I assumed.

"Then die," he answered unexpectedly, tossing a sheathed knife to land on the floor in front of me.  I didn't understand.  Takeda-sama would have his head for this when he found out.

"Takeda-sama will kill you," I pointed out.  My guard didn't answer, but didn't take a step to retrieve his blade, either.  I picked it up, then, and made the first cut up my arm.  I wasn't samurai, and anyway I didn't deserve the honor of a proper seppuku.  I began to bleed, and continued cutting until I couldn't see anymore.

                      ~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`_/Flashback_~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`

_Shinomori-san waited until I fainted and took me to a real doctor.  He knew I was bound and could stand to lose a lot of blood, so this was a relatively safe way to get me off the premises without much suspicion and he didn't have to worry about my revealing what was happening, because I didn't know it myself._

This had been before I met Aoshi, while he was away from Misao following an obsession with making a name for the four men who'd been with him, Hannya among them.  Given my experience with him in that time, I was surprised he had found it in his heart to help Megumi at the cost of his and his men's positions.

_He sacrificed his position?  He was trying to make his men the strongest.  He was completely obsessed with that goal._

_Yes.  There was a battle after that.  Takeda couldn't let me go that easily and Shinomori-san knew it.  He won the battle as he predicted, but his men all four died instead of triumphing gloriously as he expected.  Guns were just becoming popular in those days, and Shinomori-san didn't expect Takeda to have them without telling him._

_Takeda killed all four Oniwabanshuu?_

_Yes._

_And that is why that vampire came in here?  He was after you?_

_Yes._

I understood.  I had been wrong about Megumi when I assumed she was innocent, but there was still a difference between her sins and mine.  She had been forced to do everything she had done and had resisted from the beginning.  I had done no such thing.  I was guilty and responsible for everything.  I turned my eyes back to the fight.  Dawn was approaching and all of the vampires, I included, were becoming visibly tired, especially the ones fighting.  Misao had begun to breathe.

It was a good thing that vampires were restricted to the night, whereas humans could roam any time they wished to wake up.  Such strong and dangerous creatures could never safely commingle with the majority of the human race.  We managed enough violence in the scant few hours we were allowed; we certainly didn't need twenty-four.

The strange vampire was becoming sluggish and even clumsier than he had been before, but Misao was still, well, Misao.  She breathed hard after awhile, but she sent the other vampire to the floor and quickly had a fistful of kunai trained on his throat.  She stood over him for a moment, waiting to see if he would challenge her victory, but he didn't rise.  She took away the kunai, and he disappeared.  She promptly collapsed, caught by Aoshi, and both of them disappeared as well.  Sano left, since nothing interesting was going on anymore, and only Kaoru, Megumi, and I remained.

I got up laboriously, feeling more like lying down right where I was, while Kaoru stood up and waited for me.  She was probably rather tired as well, but human sleep cycles were considerably more flexible than those of vampires.  She took my hand and went before me toward our bedroom, injured though she was.  I stumbled a little and she laughed, but she knew from experience that at this point, I would be a vegetable before I even lay down.

"Ken-san," Megumi called and nodded toward the living room, and I had barely formed a coherent sentence in my brain to speak when Kaoru mercifully answered for me.

"Not tonight," she said gently and quietly, stopping to look past me.  "He's so tired; just look at him," and we continued toward the bedroom, which seemed about a mile away.  I _was_ hungry, but it would have to wait.  Besides, it would be so nice just once to go to bed without feeding on someone else.  I fell asleep happier than I'd been in awhile.

I drowsily opened my eyes when night fell.  Kaoru was already awake, but hadn't left the bed yet.  I was perversely reminded of another day when I'd awakened to find her still there, but it mercifully had not truly been her.  This time, it was most likely because she was not particularly strong yet and had been advised not to walk when there was no one in the room to help her in case she fell.  She looked wide awake and full of energy, but stayed there calmly waiting for me to feel the same.

Her face was beautifully accentuated by the play of shadows in the dark, and for the thousandth time I wondered how it would look in natural light.  I had been curious before and made a point to see it in a brightly lit apartment, since synthetic light was not as powerful as sunlight, but I was sure the sun did it better justice.  I had very few memories of women's faces in the sun, and the only one that plainly stood out to me was my mother.  I had not seen her in one hundred forty-five years, since she died when I was a human child of nine.  Any others had been village women from that time, slave women or mistresses from the year after that, during which I was a slave, or the scant few women I had seen while living with my shishou.

I had comparatively few memories of anything in the sunlight.  I had lived fourteen years in it, but I had experienced one hundred forty years away from it.  Most of my memories, and all of the even remotely recent ones, took place in the dark, where all of my kind hid from humanity.  We were sought out by some in our territory, and we sought out some when they unwittingly or unavoidably entered it, but make no mistake, we hid.  We were stronger and faster and could manipulate their minds, but we were dismally outnumbered, and if they didn't accept us, we were finished, so we hid.

There were hunters on both sides, but even they took precautions to avoid discovery.  Vampires hunted humans in the secrecy of night, and humans hunted vampires through their bound contacts or by working in concert with other vampires.  There was no other way for a human to thwart vampiric senses besides putting someone nearby who the vampire would sense, but not deem worthy of suspicion, or by luring the vampires to them.

This was usually accomplished with kidnappings or theft.  I remembered a kidnapping I had felt at a hunter's hands, and reached to touch its victim's face as if to recite a line of thanks that she was present.  She looked at me quizzically, since there was no way she could know what I'd been thinking, but seemed to appreciate the gesture.  She pulled me up to experience this night with her.

******************************************************************************************************

I took such a long time to write this!  I didn't have as much time to write this weekend as I normally do, so though I will try my utmost not to miss a day, I may not be successful.  Apologies in advance.  I have been able to write some during school recently, though, since we don't do much in computer class and it has the added bonus of me being able to type directly onto my disk and not write it out first.  It's looking better, but I'm still not promising.

Cattibrie393: thanks!  is it that you like how i'm not describing the actual blow-by-blow of a fight, but more of what's going on other places and in people's minds while the fight is happening?  i like writing action better that way, because i despise fight scenes, and i'm a very introspective writer.

Forbidden Dream:  Yesssss! another new person!  i'm glad you like the story so much, and i obviously share your love of vampires.  i've got a couple of vamp-haters interested in this fic now, and i'm beckoning to them to join the dark side, lol.  i adore enishi so very much.  glad you like my poetry, and i did not know ff.net was closing that section.  maybe it's not getting enough traffic.  i guess i'll move it, or i could just change the genre on it from 'poetry' to 'angst' or something like that and keep it posted as a story.

Kenshin's My Man:  whoa!  thank you for saying so.  i like the Kenshin expressions, too.  that reminds me of when Misao and Kenshin were traveling together and she tried to cheer him up by describing his expressions and imitating them… she was very funny.

Yuhi-thedoerofevildeeds: sorry, but it does have to end sometime.  i think you will like the epilogue.

Invader Zimo:  glad to hear you got an account.  you really don't have to look and see if there's another author with the name you want, because ff.net won't let you register with the same name.  they used to, but they changed it.  i'll try to remember that you are the same person.  glad you are still enjoying the story!  Kanryuu is basically just being a prick, but he is mainly mad because Aoshi allowed Megumi to escape.  Actually, I don't think Sano knows about the opium yet, but he won't be happy.  that bit of info provides an interesting conflict which might just make the story longer.


	28. Night And Day

The Sacred Night, Chapter 27 

** **

I was standing in front of the house of a samurai.  I wasn't entirely sure why I was there, but I was sure that I would either die or be forced into hiding if it was the wrong choice.  I didn't know what I was thinking- the woman who'd invited me there was probably either not there or trying to lure me into a den of hunters.  I had already made my presence known, but it was not too late to leave.  They would never be able to find me; that wouldn't be a problem.  They would beat the servant girl I had seen, though, believing she was lying.

_Before I managed to convince myself to leave and forget the servant, the door opened and the woman I had seen earlier stood there, contrary to every expectation.  I asked myself once more what exactly I was doing there, and the only answer I found was that I had been invited.  She accepted me into her home, knowing exactly what I was._

_"Vampire-san," she bowed, and I, having almost forgotten the custom, bowed back awkwardly.  Her manners were flawless, and if I hadn't been a vampire, I would have thought her unreadable.  She was not easy to read, in any case.  I sensed mild disgust, but she was clearly determined to go through with whatever she had started, so I let her._

_We walked through her home in perfect silence, she leading me to a place she had prepared.  There were cushions on the floor, which could be easily adjusted, though I doubted that would be necessary.  She went to it first, motioning me to follow after she was settled.  I sat next to her and she stiffly leaned toward me to expose her neck.  I became more confused and my brain shouted the risks at me, since she was clearly not enjoying this, as could be expected of any sane human who wasn't acquainted with this sort of thing, but she had initiated it nonetheless.  It seemed more and more like a trap, but somehow I could not suspect her.  If she was angry at my kind and setting a trap, she hid it well, for she did not seem to have any emotion except revulsion._

**_No, _**_she told herself.  I had not really been listening to her thoughts, but heard because I was already in her mind to exert the familiar mind control that is part of the feeding process.  Perhaps she'd meant to say it out loud, but didn't._

**_Are you telling me to stop?_**_  I asked, stalling the actual stopping.  I did not have to stop, and certainly hadn't stopped when other victims had begged me to do so, but I knew that for her, I would._

**_No, Vampire-san.  Continue, but do not tell me lies._**

****

_So it was that.  She was one of a breed of humans who counted it a point of honor to resist vampiric mind control until the last, proving her bravery.  In other victims, I could understand better, since for them it was death, but there was no death to face for this woman.  There would not be unless I chose, and while I didn't know why, I knew that I would not choose death for her as I had for others.  I acquiesced and ceased the mind control, but continued feeding for a short time.  I stopped short of the amount I would normally have taken, but was not left feeling empty.  I straightened and examined her for signs that she was injured.  Something seemed different about her, but I could not put my finger on it.  She was not gray headed and shriveled, like the other victims I had cast aside, but she looked… older, wiser, more cynical, more like… me._

"Did you not know that premature aging was a side effect of being fed upon?"  Megumi asked as I finished this night's installment of the story.

"I only noticed the change at extreme cases, Megumi-dono, because I had never fed without killing, that I hadn't," I explained, looking her in the eye.  There was a time when I could not have said that while looking into the listener's face, but at this point, I spoke with conviction.  I was not averse to telling the truth, since there was a chance it would help others understand what grave mistakes I had made, and possibly prevent anyone from repeating them.  Instead, she looked down for a moment.

"Ken-san, you don't realize the truth, do you?"

"I don't understand,"

"You are so ashamed, even to the point of self-loathing, but you don't realize you've already done all you can do.  You are a good man now, Ken-san, and you mustn't continue making yourself suffer for something that cannot be changed now,"

I listened and remained quiet for a moment.  I had been told that very thing before, but had never believed it, and this time was no different.  "You could say the same to yourself, Megumi-dono," I answered.  I would not follow this advice, since when she gave it, she could not have known the enormity of my offenses, but it would be good advice for her.  She still had not let go of her past and her guilt, though she could be happy if she would.  I could never do that.

"No," she smiled knowingly, as if failing miserably at explaining a faraway adult principle to a child.  "I have not changed as you have.  In many ways, I am still the person who manufactured pleasurable poison in Takeda-sama's cellar," she replied languidly.  She probably had not realized she'd lapsed into her old way of referring to her oppressor.  I could see that she was reliving some melancholy memory as I myself had often done in the stillness of dusk before Kaoru came in to see if I was awake, and had hidden it as best I could, unlike Megumi, who now bore the expression unhidden before me.

I certainly wasn't the man I had been, but that was only due to another person.  Even then, I had not been a bloodthirsty killing machine, as some believed, who hunted for the pleasure of it as much as the nourishment.  I had only done what I believed I needed to do, but what a gravely mistaken belief it was.  Some painted me as a legendary hunter, but what they didn't know, perhaps, was that I had only been so because power and naiveté do not make a good combination.

I suppose many new vampires go through similar stages, unless their parents teach them otherwise from the beginning, but they were not as powerful as I was.  I had been able to overpower almost any human when I was alive, and now I could overpower every vampire I'd met.  I had used that force, believing I was not doing anything wrong, but I had not understood how the world worked.  I had learned the hard way to respect life, and even the ghost of life in other vampires.  My own did not merit it after the process of learning that lesson.

Megumi was the first to come out of our mutual lapse into reverie, and she seemed to shake it off.  She looked at me, alert again, seeming to have a question.  She looked anxious for me to do or say something, but I didn't understand what she wanted me to say.

"Don't you realize it, Ken-san?"  She asked, plainly searching for a sign that I understood, but I didn't.  "We're alike,"

"I hope we are not alike, Megumi-dono.  I can't know everything you have gone through, but I know that I would not wish my experiences on anyone, that I wouldn't,"

"It's not a matter of hoping I haven't done bad things, Ken-san.  I have.  You seem to have difficulty believing it, but not everyone is a saint besides you.  We have all done things we regret, and we all think we are the worst at times.  You're going to go insane if you keep yourself isolated in there," she pointed to her own cranium, not attempting to touch me.  "You are not alone,"

Sometimes I wished I weren't alone.  Sometimes I wished someone else could understand and I could unburden my mind, but that would be a selfish wish.  For that to happen, someone else would have to do as I had, and thousands of others would have to suffer and die.  No, it was certainly better to stay to myself.

"No, Megumi-dono, I am not alone.  I have Kaoru-dono,"

"That's not the kind of alone I meant.  You need more than just her,"

"I love Kaoru-dono very much, Megumi-dono.  You have not known us long, so there is no way for you to know how much she has helped me, but be assured that I will never need more than just her," I explained, and it struck me as I finished how hypocritical that sounded when I'd just fed on someone besides Kaoru.

She looked downcast for a moment, but looked up again and said, "Do what you want, but if you ever do want to talk about it, you know where to find me,"

She left then.  I had the distinct impression she was annoyed with me, and I supposed I could understand why, but I couldn't stop her.  I could not pull her into my shame, as much as she might wish it.  Others before had wanted to enter as well, believing they could then somehow pull me out of my "shell," but I understood the concept much more personally than they did.  I knew their efforts would be futile, and didn't want to allow them to see things that would bring them sorrow to no benefit.

Only one person was truly allowed into my world: Sano.  I had never enumerated everything to Kaoru to the extent that I had to him- he always seemed to find out anyway, and he was hardier than she was.  He had seen deaths, murders, torture, and evil almost to the extent I had, and I could never wish for Kaoru to experience that.  I had no secrets from her.  I had told her the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, but she couldn't understand to his depth.  I saw myself mirrored in him.  Kaoru, though, was of a higher order of perfect things that should never be soiled with our ilk.

One other person had been fully admitted into my madness, and had, in truth, been the one to protect me from it, not the other way around.  She understood it better than I did.  She had known both happiness and sorrow, both love and hate.  I had had only the narrowest experiences with half of what it is to be alive.  I knew I was not alive, but that thought seemed absurd in her presence.  I could forget, for a moment, that I was a vampire.

I had never understood what I did when I murdered my victims, because to understand death, one must understand life.  She made me understand what I was and what life was.  I longed for her, a different kind of longing than I felt for Kaoru.  Both beautiful in their own rights, both amazing women, they were the cornerstones of my existence.  They were light and dark, two sides of one coin- _"the bright, blessed day, the dark, sacred night."_

_********************************************************************************************_

a little short, but I happened to think that last line was just SO perfect.  Btw, i didn't come up with it- it came from the song "What A Wonderful World."  It's a beautiful song, really, but i have no idea who sings it.  Yes, that is where i got both my name and the story's title.

Cattibrie393: i agree.  blow-by-blow fights get boring after awhile.

Forbidden Dream: lol… well, i myself wasn't looking forward to violent insurrection, but i'm glad only the misc. poetry will be deactivated.  I myself have only recently become interested in megumi.  just you try to tell me you wouldn't flirt with Kenshin if you were her.  i rather like the vampires' psychic powers as well, that way it's not all violence and destruction.  Sano?  Dull?  excuse me, are we talking about the same ex-paid fighter who joined the revolution at 10 years old?  he could not be farther from dull, especially when he's terrified of getting his picture taken.  Thank you for saying I'm a good poet!  i love poetry.

Invader Zimo: oh, ok.  well, anyway, you shouldn't hesitate to get an account (why again don't you have one?).  no, Sano does not know, but i'm thinking he's gonna find out soon, and it's not going to be pretty.  yes, Kenshin does find some way to condemn himself with every topic… it's the most frustrating yet endearing things about him… like he's some sort of puppy you want to take care of and make happy.  no, megumi's guards were vamps.


	29. Fool

The Sacred Night, Chapter 29 

_I stood outside her house again, and this time, I didn't ask myself why.  I was there because I had fostered affection for the human, and I **definitely **didn't ask myself why that was.  I couldn't have answered.  Humans were beneath my kind, but this one was not.  I needed their blood to survive, but I let this one keep most of hers.  I did not understand her, or at this point, myself.  I was well on my way to loving her._

_She didn't seem any closer to loving me as she opened the door and accepted me with a polite nod.  She led me to the usual place with efficiency and grace, but not gusto.  She was beautiful in this and in any other environment, but it was a static, stoic beauty.  I was certain she felt nothing for me, excepting the mild and well-hidden revulsion I did not doubt was still there._

_My fangs entered her and I drank, now thoroughly starving.  I had not taken my normal amount from any victim in weeks, and I felt the effects.  Each time, it seemed to be less I could drink and sooner I had to stop.  She had me tied around her little finger, and she strung me along with the icy impassivity of a goddess.  I could not now conceive of feeding on another human- she was to be my one and only until she died, and she would surely die before I would, being human.  Perhaps I could change her and she could stay with me forever… that was a pleasant notion to court, but I doubted she would appreciate the gesture.  In spite of her mysterious offer to me, she did not seem affectionate toward my kind._

_Maybe, then, she did feel something for me.  She had never spoken of my kind in a complimentary manner, but she did not express disgust at having me in her house.  She didn't really express anything else, either, and I supposed that was just her way.  Of course, there were times when such a manner was highly desirable, but she never seemed to need expression of any kind.  She didn't create art, didn't write poems like so many of her caste, and didn't do anything unnecessary.  She was very proper and reserved, but I'd hoped to gain greater insight into her than this._

_She did write in a book frequently, but I never asked what she was writing.  Perhaps she did write poems, but if she did, she was very private about them.  I didn't think she would  want me to see what she wrote all the time, though I very much wanted to see it.  I could have invaded her mind and known everything, but she seemed so sacred and unreachable that I found myself refraining from doing anything I thought would displease her._

_What would it have been like if I'd met her when I was alive?  Perhaps she would be able to love me if I didn't sicken her so.  Perhaps I would have been able to give her a proper life as a samurai, since my shishou had brought me into that group. Would she have seen me in any better light?   Would she have even noticed me?_

"How could anyone fail to notice you?"  She asked, smiling slightly.  She didn't look like the 'fox' Sano had called her.  She looked like she couldn't decide whether to be cry or to laugh.  She turned her brown eyes up to me after a moment,  and they were indeed sparkling with the foxish light Sano had seen.  I knew then that she had decided on the more lighthearted of the possible meanings to her question: I was literally very difficult to miss, especially in a country where the vast majority of citizens had hair the color of obsidian.

I simply laughed, not mentioning the fact that many had failed to notice me to their peril.  "I don't know, Megumi-dono, that I don't,"

"It's wonderful," she commented, taking a lock of my hair in her hand to indicate what was wonderful.  I tolerated the gesture, and she soon removed her hand.

"That's what people tell me," I answered, less lighthearted.  "Women, anyway,"

"Men are fools," she answered, not realizing how offensive that could sound in any other context.  I looked down.  I knew what she meant, of course, and she hadn't meant to insult me, but it was true.  I knew it was true.  "You are different than any other man," she finished.

"No less a fool,"

"Yes.  You are less a fool than anyone,"

"There would be no way for you to understand, Megumi-dono, unless you were there.  You have not seen how many have suffered because of my stupidity,"

"And what of the people who have suffered for my stupidity, or Aoshi's?  Are they less important?"

"They are less in number,"

"Let me explain something to you.  While I was in Kanryuu's custody, I made over fifty doses of opium a day.  I was with him for five years.  That makes 91, 300 doses of opium.  That's a potential of almost 100, 000 people I may have killed.  How many did you kill?"

"A person a night for four years.  That's 1, 460, plus about fifty that I killed later when I was wandering and trying not to feed," I answered, in shock.  Could Megumi have actually killed more than I had?  The thought seemed impossible.  "But I did it of my own free will,"

"Yes.  You did it because you didn't understand the way things worked, as you have told me, correct?"  She waited for me to nod. "I knew exactly what I was doing.  I did not believe it was my natural right to kill those people.  I did not need to do it in order to live,"

"Actually, Megumi-dono, you would have died if you had not-"

"Perhaps.  I doubt Takeda would have killed me no matter what, as much as he threatened it. I was the only person who knew how to make the kind of opium I made, so he would have had to get me to teach someone else before he killed me or lose his business venture,"

"But you became a doctor, and now you can save that many lives again," I answered.

"Ken-san, how many years has it been since you killed someone?"

"One hundred twenty-seven," I answered, wondering why she asked.

"You have saved a life every night for as many years by feeding on your wife, who can bear it,"

I was impressed.  I had not thought of it that way… I was saving lives by not feeding on unbound humans, and I didn't even want to attempt the math.  I didn't know if it technically qualified as saving them, since merely not killing them was hardly above and beyond my duty, but I felt better hearing her say it.  I didn't want to think about whether it counted or not.  It was a good thought.  "Thank you, Megumi-dono," I murmured.

"It was only what you could have seen if you'd looked," was the last thing she said before she left and the night ended.

In the morning, I awoke to find Kaoru and Megumi eating in the kitchen, but not speaking to one another.  I had never noticed them being especially friendly.  They didn't seem angry, though.  Perhaps they were just tired- I had no idea what time they'd gotten up.  I went to sit with them and start a conversation.  They were eating pancakes, which I had never eaten.

"Good morning," I greeted them.

"Good morning," they both smiled back, taking a break from their food.  It was not polite to eat in front of someone who could not have any, but they both must have known I wouldn't care.  I wasn't hungry anyway.

"Go ahead," I motioned them to continue eating.  "I don't care,"

"No, we don't mind.  It wouldn't be polite, since you can't have any.  Too bad, these things are good.  Takani-san made them!"

"That's _why_ they're good," Megumi commented.

"Are they better than the ones you make, Kaoru-dono?"

"Well…" she started to tighten her fists a bit, but relaxed after a moment.  "Yes,"

"May I try some?"  I asked.  I usually didn't eat human food, since it tasted horrible, but if this was better, maybe it wasn't that I didn't like human food, maybe it was just the way it had been cooked.  Megumi started to protest, but Kaoru gave me a bite, assuming Megumi would want to do so as well.  I guessed it was a little better, but…

"Thank you, Kaoru-dono," I said after I'd swallowed the offending morsel.

"I knew you wouldn't like it," Megumi said, but she didn't seem offended.  She sounded more like the voice of reason.  "Vampires are not meant to eat human food.  It's just not natural,"

"You're just saying that because he doesn't like your cooking," Kaoru countered complacently.

"He doesn't like yours, either,"

"How do you know that?  My cooking is just fine!"

"Please calm down, I didn't mean to start a fight, that I didn't!"  I admonished, rather embarrassed.

Kaoru settled primly and said, "I'm perfectly calm.  Takani-san just can't accept that her cooking isn't as good as she thinks it is,"

Megumi decided to be mature and leave that one alone.  I left the table, hoping that without my presence, they might have less to fight about.  I wondered if they really disliked each other or if… maybe Kaoru was jealous.  I could not speak for her, but I knew it bothered me that I had to feed on Megumi instead of Kaoru.  Maybe she was letting it bother her more than she should have.  She had always been somewhat territorial, especially when other women were around, and maybe this bothered her more than I'd known.

I'd have to try to ease the strain on her, then.  She didn't really see Megumi and me together very often, but maybe it would help if all three of us were together more.  That way she could see that while Megumi was a nice woman, I didn't feel for her even an ounce of what I felt for Kaoru.  She had been there for me for over one hundred twenty-five years, and had never once condemned me or given the impression she was disappointed with me.  Se could see me simply as a man, not Battousai, not a vampire, and not even a hero, like Megumi seemed to see.

I had to admit, it would have been easy to let Megumi feed my ego and listen to her assertions that I was not such a horrid thing as I imagined, but that would not have been real.  I knew I was a sinner, and so did Kaoru.  She did not attempt to convince me that it was not so, but maintained that she did not care.  Any time Megumi told me I was no worse than she was, I knew it was a lie, albeit a lie that she believed.  I supposed her guilt made her seem to herself the way that I seemed to myself: odious.  I knew, however, that in my case, it was true.

Kaoru was too pure to lie to me.  She knew and did not care.  She was not in denial, as Megumi seemed to be.  She was perfectly aware of everything I'd gone through, and stayed on of her own free will.  She would not wake up someday and realize the truth, and then be so frightened by it that she would leave in the day never to be seen again.  She was an open book, fiercely independent, and steady as the rain, and I loved her.

******************************************************************************************************************

Lady Battousai: i'm not sure if you did it intentionally, but i believe you spelled 'Battousai' wrong.  there is a u there.  i don't know, maybe your spelling is also acceptable.  anyway, thought i'd point it out.  glad you like the last line.  if it gives you a good feeling, it's probably because if you're a fan of Bakumatsu Kenshin, you're probably a fan of tomoe, and who isn't a fan of kaoru, and i made them both look good at the same time!  i love both of them, can you tell?

PraiseDivineMercy: glad you like that line, so do i and apparently, so do a lot of other people.  it gave me a beautiful image of a bridge over the river i live near at night.  sorry it was confusing- i looked back and i agree with you, but i'm not going to clarify because i presume you get it after reading the rest.  yes, Kenshin will always resist megumi's flirting, because he adores kaoru.  megumi knows this, and she knows she can't have him, but flirting takes some of the hurt away, ne?  i love both tomoe and kaoru, so i can't make one look bad and the other good… besides, i think it's more realistic to have him still loving both of them, because tomoe had a special place and will never be replaced, though he loves kaoru equally.  they're so different, you really can't compare and say he loves one more than the other.

CowGirl4Ever: i like long fics, too.  i hate it when you've just gotten attached and then it's over.  glad you like the fic and vamps.  i generally update on schedule, but occasionally i miss a day.  i promise never to quit a fic that i've already started posting.  i hate it when they don't update on any regular basis, because then you never know whether they've quit or are just not finished with the chapter.

Cattibrie393: I don't know anything about opium, but the people buying it may not have been vampires, just the people selling it, though Kanryuu's actually human.  you bring up a good point that she had to have guards in the day, but she had to sleep sometime, too.  maybe they trusted locks for a few hours, or maybe Kanryuu did it himself, since he was the only human around except her.  lots of ppl like the last line… so do i, and it sticks in my head a lot.

Yuhi-thedoerofevildeeds: thank you!

Forbidden Dream: yes, Sano does tend to be delightfully dim at times.  cameras, yes, and trains… and the comments about Kaoru's cooking don't always cause HIM pain, cause one time he picked up Kenshin and used him as a shield… it was pretty funny, unless you're Kenshin…

Kenshin: I am Kenshin!

Me: well, yes you are.  i guess you didn't find it funny?

Kenshin: it hurt, that it did!  besides, Miss Kaoru's cooking is not so bad…

Anyhoo… well, as i said, you can't really blame megumi.  she does know she can't have him, but flirting takes some of the hurt away.  you can't have TOO much of a grudge against tomoe, because if she had never married him, he would not have realized that killing was bad and would never have become the rurouni he was for kaoru to fall in love with!  glad to see you think i have a *mob* of fans… well, this fic is faring better than any others i've done

Invader Zimo:  you don't *have* do update on schedule… you don't even have to have fics to have an account.  you can just read all the stuff on your favs list and leave signed reviews until you're ready to write!  besides, you can set it not to show your email addy.  Sano and meg are going to get into it, i think.  i like puppies, too (who doesn't?) but i also like cows!  i recently moved to a rural area, so i get to see them all the time now.


	30. OPIUM?

**The Sacred Night, Chapter 29**

"Who's that guy?"  Sano asked without waiting for Tsubame's guest to be introduced.  The stranger carried a shinai reminiscent of Kaoru's bokken, which now stayed in our closet unless she felt like practicing with it.  It was an odd thing for a vampire to do, since did use archaic weapons frequently, but very rarely were they less than deadly.

"This is Myojin Yahiko, my… boyfriend," she answered shyly, presenting him to the group gathered in my living room.  Everyone greeted them politely and introduced themselves to Yahiko.  He looked about ten, but his ki indicated otherwise.  He was in Tsubame's situation- changed as a child, still looking like one over a century later.  It was cute how they held hands as they walked to the available seats.

"Nice to meet you, Yahiko-chan," Kaoru chirped as she bowed, oblivious to her mistake.  She wasn't a vampire, and so couldn't read ki.  He didn't bow back to her.

"Don't ever call me that again, you ugly old hag," he sneered and kept walking.

"Hey!  You can't talk to me like that!  I am one hundred forty-four and your elder!"

"Not by much, ugly. I'm one hundred thirty-two!"  Kaoru gave up at that point, embarrassed by her mistake, I guessed.  I smiled and held her hand.  She would never cease to be the childlike girl I had married.

Aoshi sat stonily in the corner while Misao laughed beside him.  She glanced over and saw his cool exterior, but it just made her laugh harder.  Everyone was laughing at this point, and it was quite pleasant.  Tsubame's and Yahiko's childlike voices drifted high over Sano's and my deep tones, while Kaoru's and Megumi's voices fit in the middle.  Misao's loud laugh overpowered anyone's, and Aoshi just let out one barely perceptible note with a half smile.

We were an interesting assortment to see as well.  The humans' clothes were more updated than the vampires', and Sano still dressed almost the same as he always had.  He was never one to care what people thought, and doubtless if he could go out in the daytime, he would still wear that.  The rest of us owned enough modern clothes to avoid stares if we walked through the streets, but since even that could usually be avoided, we also kept a fair amount of our old ones.  Aoshi was currently wearing jeans with a flowing, white coat he'd had since before I met him.  Misao was still wearing her favorite shade of blue, and Yahiko had his shinai.  I myself had given up only the garments that had become too threadbare to be decent, but did not generally wear them outside.  A married man could only go so far in his fashion choices without having to confront the pout of the most beautiful girl in the world.  Megumi was the only one who seemed to have shifted with the times, choosing new things constantly.

Despite his rudeness to Kaoru, I could see that Yahiko was good at heart.  He looked at Tsubame like Misao looked at Aoshi, and I was sure they would be happy together.  I could understand why he was so averse to being taken for younger than he really was- it had happened often enough to me when I was alive, and still did sometimes, though I wasn't as offended by it anymore.  Kaoru, on the other hand, made it no secret that she was every bit of one hundred forty-four.  She was like a vampire woman in that respect- bound humans weren't always as proud of it as they were.  We men remained apathetic for the most part, regardless of our status as normal, bound, or vampire.

"It's nice to have all these people here.  When I get better and Takani-san leaves, Kenshin and I will be all by ourselves!"  Kaoru said.  She hated to be left alone, case in point: Enishi's Island.

"I don't know about that, Himura-san," Megumi answered quickly.  "I really like it here, maybe I'll stay…" she had pulled my other hand into both of hers.  Sano opened his mouth lazily to say something like, 'Cool it, Fox,' when Kaoru beat him to it.

"NO, YOU MOST CERTAINLY WILL NOT!  I DON'T CARE HOW LONELY I GET; I DON'T NEED YOU FLIRTING WITH MY HUSBAND!"  These words were accompanied by several mercifully poorly aimed swipes toward Megumi's head, and I thought it best to quietly reclaim my hand.

"It's all right, Kaoru-dono, she was only teasing, that she was," I tried to pacify her, but I began to wonder just how all right it really was.  I had always known that Megumi was not serious when she innocently touched me occasionally, but I had never thought she'd do it in front of Kaoru.  This was not good- not good at all.

"That had better be all it was," she pouted, plopping back down next to me.

"Relax, Himura-san, he's not some toy we're going to fight over like children.  He's his own man,"

What in Nirvana's name was she doing?  Granted, she didn't know Kaoru like I did, but anybody should be able to guess that a wife would not be happy about this sort of thing.  Kaoru was _beyond_ not happy.  She was livid.  "You vixen!  You flirt!  You home-wrecker!"  Objects from the nearest table were now receiving frequent-flier miles as they soared toward Megumi's unprotected body.  I caught a couple of knickknacks, among them a ceramic elephant she'd gotten as a present from Misao shortly after a fight they'd won together while I hadn't been there.  She laughed about it, but I didn't understand the joke.

"Please stop, Kaoru-dono, you'll hurt Megumi-dono, that you will," I pleaded, hoping Megumi would not prod her on again.

"Come on, Missy, you know he's not gonna cheat on you," Sano pointed out.

She admitted that yes, she did know this, and sat once again, deliberately very close to me, shooting disapproving looks across me to Megumi, who just 'hmph'ed and stuck her nose in the air.  They _were_ acting like children.  I would have to talk to Megumi about that, and now probably Kaoru as well.  This would require significant smoothing over.  I hoped the two women were not permanently off to a bad start, though, since Megumi's company was much more enjoyable when she wasn't bringing up exactly the thing one didn't want to hear.

We all settled in, just socializing and laughing now that the imminent threat of Kaoru's wrath was temporarily neutralized.  Tsubame told us she had gotten a new job at a restaurant in town and that's how she met Yahiko.  Aoshi's and Misao's marriage was back to normal, Misao's affection or Aoshi being incredibly resilient.  Sano, amazingly, was taking 'nothing' to unprecedented levels- he had not had a paying job in over fifty years now.  What little money was required to keep humans around to feed on was won through copious amounts of gambling, at which a vampire could excel easily against humans.

Aoshi, Misao, Tsubame, and Yahiko left fairly soon, leaving Kaoru, Megumi, Sano, and me.  It got rather quiet and nice, and after awhile Kaoru and Megumi announced that they were hungry and would be leaving Sano's and my presence for awhile.  The two of us did not find it hard to search for conversation topics, and we stayed in my living room for quite awhile just shooting the breeze.  Eventually the discussion wove its way to Megumi.

"The Fox really seems to like you," he pointed out, and maybe I just imagined that he was a little jealous.

"Yes… she knew who I was before she offered to let me feed on her.  She seemed to think she could understand me better than other people, and I suppose she does to a degree,"

"Why would she think that?  She hasn't done…"

"Not exactly, Sano, but I really think you should ask Megumi-dono about that.  I'm not sure she'd appreciate it if I told you,"

"So there's some big secret?"

"Yes, she does have a secret.  I'm warning you, Sano, you're not going to like it,"

"Hey, I've probably heard worse.  She couldn'ta done anything too bad, I mean, she's like, a doctor, so it's not like she killed anybody…"

I didn't answer, and he seemed a little disturbed by that, but I was resolute.  He was looking at me a little strangely, clearly wondering what I could have meant, when the two women came back.  Sano wasted no time asking Megumi to speak to him privately, and I was left alone with Kaoru, which I ordinarily would not have minded in the least.  This time, however, I had some explaining to do.

"Kenshin?"  She greeted hesitantly as she came to sit beside me.

"Yes, Kaoru-dono?"  I answered perfectly innocently, though I could imagine what was coming.

"Why was Takani-san acting so strange earlier?"

"Well, Megumi-dono has… a secret, Kaoru-dono, and she thought because of it that she and I could understand each other better than most people.  It's all right, that it is.  She is not serious, Kaoru-dono,"

"I don't like it.  I'm going to talk to her about it,"

"No, please don't do that, Kaoru-dono.  I can talk to her about it if you like," I suggested.  I knew what would happen if she were left to try to convince the tenacious doctor of anything- more items would fly through the air.

"All right," she agreed reluctantly.  "Don't be so lenient, though.  I want her to understand that she needs to stop immediately,"

"I suppose I can do that, Kaoru, that I ca-"

"91,300 PEOPLE?"  I heard bellowed from the back of my house.  I guessed Sano had found out Megumi's secret.  A few hastily spoken, mumbled words in feminine tones followed it, but Sano probably did not hear them as his ki abruptly disappeared from the vicinity.  I heard him in my mind, requesting rather roughly that I come with him.  I knew I was in trouble.  

Very shortly, I was sure I would be in trouble with just about everyone I knew.  I wondered what would go wrong to alienate me from Aoshi and Misao; they were the only ones left.  I found him in his surprisingly semi-clean apartment- vampires needed very few material possessions- head in hands.  He looked up when he sensed me and began to ask the questions of a betrayed party, though none sounded like questions so much as accusations.

"You knew,"

"Yes, I did,"

"You let that... that _Opium Woman_ into your house and knew I liked her, but you never-"

"I couldn't, Sano.  It was hers to tell.  She only told me after I'd fed on her several times, that she did,"

"You could have warned me, told me to stay away before I fell for her," he seemed to be finished, but then spoke more after a pause.  "You're still letting her stay there, feeding on her?"

"Yes,"

"Even after she..."

"Sano, I know you have a personal issue with opium, but you cannot believe she is worse than this one,"

"I do.  She killed 91,300 people.  You, maybe 1500.  Jeez, Kenshin, you're a _vampire_.  I don't approve, either, but come on, we all go through a little of that,"

"A little, Sano?  How many do you think Misao-dono or Tsubame-dono killed when they were changed?"

"How about Aoshi or me?  A lot more than the girls, I know that much,"

"That doesn't matter.  Fifteen hundred people are dead,"

"91,300 people are dead!"

"Yes, Sano, they are.  Did she tell you why she did those things?"

"Do you care why?  You always say it's wrong no matter what-"

"Yes, I do, but her case is different.  Did she tell you why?"

"She… tried.  I left before she could say,"

"She was forced, Sano,"

"Forced?  By who?"

"Takeda Kanryuu,"

"The human hunter guy with the big group that tried to get Misao?"

"The very same.  He's the one who bound her,"

"And she's the one Aoshi let escape,"

"Yes,"

He sighed loudly, running his right hand through his hair, and disappeared.

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i bet he's not going where you think he's going…

IloveLegolas: glad you like this!  a LOTR person should know a thing or two about good fantasy.  Anyhoo, yes, many people seemed to think ken and Misao were going to be a pairing, but i did not mean to give the impression that they were ever romantically involved- that was just their cover story with Omasu.  i'm not squeamish about blood, really, but violence i sort of am.  i just believe violence is wrong, but blood itself doesn't bother me.  i loved your nice long review!  really, you could be a doctor and not deal with much blood, just not a surgeon.  you could be a family doctor or a dietician, but you'd still have to dissect things in med school and do your residency who knows where, but then it'd be over with.

Kenshin's My Man:  well, i can't have you dying on me, so here it is!  glad he's still IC.

Cattibrie393:  you know, I didn't feel great about that scene either, but i posted it anyway because i'm sort of behind right now.  sorry about posting a substandard chapter, but glad you liked it anyway.  i don't think the rest will cause many problems.

Yuhi-thedoerofevildeeds: glad you liked it.  to answer your question, when an organism isn't naturally supposed to eat something, it doesn't taste good to it.  people, for example, don't generally like raw meat (except sushi in some cases), whereas a bear loves it.  cat food does not taste good to you, I'm sure, as strawberries probably do not taste good to cats, since they are mainly meat eaters.  he's just not meant to eat human food.  this story was partly inspired by a dream i had where the whole Kenshin cast was some sort of flesh eating creatures, and Kenshin, not wanting to kill, tried to force himself to eat regular food, but it was really gross for him.

Cowgirl4Ever: well, the fic may be there somewhere, cause sometimes the search thing doesn't find all the results that go with the word you typed.

Lady Battousai: glad you liked the chapter.  kaoru is getting better and can go out and things now, but she just can't take too much strain (like losing half the blood in her body!).  the whole Kanryuu thing is over, but megumi's secret was bought to light by it.  the problems are now shifting more toward social issues between the characters, not large-scale crises.

Forbidden Dream:  wait a minute, you like Battousai but not Tomoe?  they're inseparable!  Anyhoo, i usually don't read alternate pairings, either, except b/k, but sometimes in k/k fics, they start out pared with other people and then find each other.  people seem to have a fetish for kao/sou and kao/Aoshi, just because all three of them have the same hair and eye color so they sort of look like they go together.  kao and sou could be brother and sister, really, as looks go.  i don't like enishi/kao, because it makes just enough sense with the story to be annoying, but not enough to be credible.  HE TRIED TO FREAKING KILL HER! come on!  the same-sex pairings are usually the weirdest, because they have not just stuff like ken/sano which you can almost see because they are good friends even though they are both straight, but weird stuff like ken/saitou… that's just wrong.  if the author explains why they are different, i can see it, but not if they just change things randomly to fulfill their fantasies.

Invader Zimo: actually, the people who had the house before me had horses here, but we probably won't because the yard is not *actually* big enough since it is interrupted by a pond and a few other things.  i do love horses though.  glad this chapter was "feel good."  megumi is trying really hardcore to get Kenshin to stop being so hard on himself, but it is so not happening. because he would probably never do that.  i'm also trying to point out how similar meg and ken are, thus her body count.  the cooking thing was to show kao and meg's relationship, which will be important.


	31. Long Talk

**The Sacred Night, Chapter 30**

** **

"Good morning, Megumi-dono," I greeted and bowed when I arrived home to find her waiting in the living room.

"Good morning, Ken-san," she giggled just a bit.  It was morning in the technical sense, but realistically it was still night.  She sat on the couch and waited for me to go to her, which I did, but I kept a small distance.

"Megumi-dono," I began, "I need to talk to you about something, that I do,"

"All right,"

"Kaoru-dono was not happy with our… behavior earlier tonight,"

"Our behavior?  You mean how I 'flirted' with you, I take it.  She should know I'm not serious.  You're married and I know that,"

"That's what I told her, but she still wanted me to talk to you about it.  She is not comfortable with it, that she isn't,"

"She must be terribly jealous, Ken-san.  How do you stand it?"

"Actually, I do not mind at all, that I don't.  I'm the same way sometimes," I admitted, blushing only a tiny bit.  I really didn't mind her possessiveness.  I thought it was cute, and it was oddly comforting to think that she not only cared enough to keep me around, but thought other women might feel a similar way.  All in all, I liked it.

"Fine.  I suppose if it works for the two of you, it's all right, but I don't want her thinking she can tell me what to do.  I'm not going to change for that tomboy,"

"Kaoru-dono is very feminine, that she is,"

"I'm sorry,"

"It's all right.  That's all I wanted to talk about,"

"All right.  I'm ready," she leaned toward me and I commenced feeding.

_I wasn't standing outside this night.  I had been here all day and night; had woken up here.  She had not been the first thing to greet my eyes, since I had been in the room alone.  I had been happy to take up residence here with her, though she seemed pretty indifferent about it herself.  Her neighbors had begun to wonder who the mysterious stranger she was associating with by night was, and she was uncomfortable with the gossip.  She was so stately and proud that it was an insult to her to be the thing old women used to spice up their lives, and since I hated to see her annoyed or unhappy, I suggested this.  We had been married only a few days, and already I was beginning to feel at home.  I was not sure she relished the idea as much as I did, but she had calmly accepted, saying what I thought best would do._

_She had long since adjusted her sleep cycle to keep up with my arrival, and I had to take small portions of her blood throughout the night instead of one large portion, and even that didn't add up to what I would usually have taken, but I was holding up.  The worst time was the first of the night, when I had to pull away after what felt like only a drop.  I was getting used to it, though._

_I hadn't been awake long before she came to me.  I had a flower of hope that she really did like this, and me, a little, nourished by the fact that I didn't have to seek her out in the mornings- she came to me, though admittedly without a smile.  She had never smiled for me, but she seemed content.  Not happy, necessarily, but content.  Maybe I could make her happy someday._

_"Konbanwa, Vampire-san," she greeted me politely, but still with that cold distance I wished were not there._

_"Konbanwa," I replied.  I wished she would say my name, but she had not yet.  I had told it to her, and I had learned hers, but was afraid I would offend her if I used it.  I repeated it over and over in my mind, though, hoping that someday my lips could say it aloud to her and I could hear mine in return._

_She knelt and did not pull away when I leaned toward her.  This was the sweetest part of the night.  I fed, but did not dull the pain.  I had not since the first time she had asked me not to do so, but I wished she would let me.  She kept a careful distance in all things, and I wondered again whether it was because she simply did not enjoy my presence for its own sake or if it was my kind from which she wanted to distance herself.  For brief moments, I could forget what I was and what I had done since I became so, but the ever-present distance reminded me.  I began to think I would never want to feed on another human again, and that this existence was so agonizingly beautiful that I would never want to leave it in favor of my old ways._

_I had never understood what a connection feeding could forge between individuals, though in our case it seemed rather one-sided.  I had never felt this connection to my victims, because they were in no condition to have any connections when I got through with them, but this… was different than anything I had felt as a human or a vampire.  I never wanted to kill again._

"You loved her, didn't you?"

"Yes, I did," I answered.  I had almost said 'do' instead of 'did.'

"And she didn't love you back?"

"Not at first, no.  I believe she eventually did, though," I paused thoughtfully, considering that, and after a pause, Megumi spoke again.

"Was she pretty?"

"Gorgeous," I answered with no hesitation.  It was true.

"What did she look like?"

"She had black hair that she always kept pulled back, and she was tall… she had brown eyes and pale, white skin… she was beautiful,"

Megumi seemed satisfied with that description and just thought a moment.  She pulled her hair back experimentally, noticing, I supposed, that she had the other traits I had described.  I could see the two tiny wounds my teeth had created, but they were not bleeding, since her body did not now contain enough blood to be able to push much out.  She was pretty then, but didn't quite stack up to the memory I had in my head.

I had adored both women I had called my wives, and I did not care to know which I loved more.  They were completely different, but the same in every way that mattered.  They were both courageous and understood life, and neither had shied away when she found out who I was.  Both had accepted every flaw gracefully and opened up to me so I could accept theirs.  I hoped Sano could bring himself to do the same with Megumi.

"Did Sano apologize for earlier, Megumi-dono?"  I asked suddenly.

"I haven't seen him since then," she answered with a puzzled look.

"When he left his house after we talked, I assumed he was coming here to speak to you, I did,"

"He didn't.  It doesn't matter- I was stupid to tell the idiot anything.  Stupid to tell _anyone_ anything, except you,"

"That's not true, Megumi-dono.  Sano didn't realize you were forced into working for Takeda-san, but when I told him that, it seemed as if he changed his mind.  He has a... personal prejudice against opium in general, since a friend of his died using it," before I was finished speaking, she had covered her mouth with her hand.

"When was this?"  She gasped.

"I... don't really know, Megumi-dono, I didn't know Sano yet when it happened,"

"How long have you known him?"

"Only fifty years,"

"Oh," she looked down.  I wanted to tell her I was sure she had not personally made the opium that had killed my friend's friend, but I had no such assurance.

"Megumi-dono, he understands now.  He will apologize and you two will be just fine, that you will,"

"I wish you could say that for certain,"

"I _am_ certain.  Sano will not hold a grudge when he understands that it was not your fault.  He may take awhile, but he will calm down.  Have I ever told you that Sano hated me when we first met?"

"What ever for?"

"Before the two of us ever met, and before Sano became a vampire, we were both involved in the war in the 1860's.  I had not been a vampire long, and still cared a certain amount for human affairs, which changed as I got older during that period.  Most of my victims were shogunate supporters and leaders, since I was an ardent supporter of the Imperialists when I was alive even though my shishou would not allow me to fight for them.  That is part of the reason I was so well-known then, though most humans did not really believe I was a vampire.  The arrangement seemed to make a lot of sense: I had to feed anyway, and the Imperialists needed my help if they were to succeed.

"I fought on their side for quite some time early in the war, but had only a passing knowledge of another branch of our side, the Sekihoutai.  Sano was involved in this branch, though he was only a child even by human standards then.  I'm sure you understand the view most people had of them after the war ended," I noted the understanding expression on her face, "but that, you already know, turned out to be untrue, as I did not find out until I met Sano.  However, even as a child, he understood that we had been the ones to create that false impression to save our own skins from the backlash that was sure to come when the claims we had made through them were found to be out of our reach,"

"You say 'we,' but you don't mean you personally, since you didn't know yet that they were telling the truth,"

"Correct.  I was not part of the news-spreading efforts, since I had already gone to wander at that time, but I had never really had that sort of job anyway.  However, I did believe what the Imperialist leaders said, that I did,"

"Of course,"

"Sano understood all of this; however I myself only knew what my superiors had told me.  He understandably held a grudge against us, since his idol, Sagara Sozou, and many of his friends were killed when they were pronounced a false army,"

"His father?"

"Captain Sagara was no relation to Sano, that he wasn't.  Sano didn't have a family name, and he chose to take Sagara's after the war ended.  As I was saying, Sano had a grudge against all of us, and we had a fight when we first met.  However, afterward, he saw that I had not really known the whole story about the Sekihoutai and we were able to become very good friends, that we were.  If he could accept my friendship in spite of that, I am sure he will accept you as well once he comes to terms with what really happened," I explained.  She closed her eyes and nodded a few times.

"Hai.  I never knew all of that about Sanosuke.  I'll try to talk to him again,"

"I'm sure he will come to you when he's ready.  However, you may want to give him his space until then, because even though he knows the truth now, it will probably take a period of time for him to convince himself fully,"

She nodded again.  "Thank you for this talk, Ken-san," she said, standing up.  It was getting close to dawn, and we would all be going to sleep soon, humans included.

"You are welcome, that you are, Megumi-dono.  Good day," I finished.

"Good day," she giggled just a little at our vampiric perversion of a nightly greeting and we went our separate ways.  I went to join Kaoru in our bed, and she went to lie awake and contemplate Sanosuke.

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yay, SPRING BREAK!!!!  I'll be able to do lots of much-needed writing and hopefully get ahead again…

Cattibrie393: glad you liked the humor.  Sano's reaction was kind of planned for me, since he didn't react well in the manga, either.  He is going to have some introspective moments coming up.

Lady Battousai: yes, it is because she's bound that she can stand to lose that much blood without being hurt.  Glad you like the social problems- they are much more my style than fighting, which I hate.

Kenshin's My Man: well, though I have heard kenshin has a womanish voice in the oav's, he has a nice, deep voice in the CN series.  And really, anybody could get good at gambling in a hundred fifty years… but really, he doesn't have to be very good, since as I said, vamps don't need much.  Aoshi just BARELY laughed, and yes, I would imagine he does do that from time to time- how could he not, since he lives with misao?  Yes, I do try to be accurate as far as the culture differences.  Many people portray the characters a lot like Americans in kimono, and that is just not how it would be.  They are Shinto, Buddhist, both, or nothing, most likely, and since I know more about Buddhism, I usually go with that.  Sano and megumi will have tons of interaction here soon.  Hope saitou doesn't get too cranky on you; that could be dangerous business… I love him, though.

ILoveLegolas: ah.  My sister rather likes him as well, but I have to say I don't see it.  He was cute as legolas, yes, but that was all about the hair.  I LOVE when men have long hair, especially if it's straight.  Glad you understand what meg's going through here- anybody would be attracted to him.  Misao's immune because she loves Aoshi, but other than that, any woman would love to have him, I think.  Kenji will be along eventually, but I can't tell you how.  Vamps can't bear children, so it's something of a surprise.  I'm hoping just the opposite for my spring break.  I want to write lots and lots and lots.

Cowgirl4Ever: well, I hate to disappoint you, but yahiko and tsubame may not appear much more.  I don't really have anything for them to do.

Yuhi-thedoerofevildeeds: I plan on it!

Forbidden Dream: I think 'yaoi' is the same whether singular or plural.  I agree with you, I don't generally read them, but I have read parts of a couple.  One I abandoned the moment I found out it was yaoi, the other I stuck with a bit longer.  It was ken/sano, but kenshin was horribly OOC.  He was actually a big, whiny baby in that fic, which could not be less like him.  I have really never seen a same-sex pairing where the people were IC.  Yeah, that song is wonderful, but it is hard to figure out who sang it first because it's been done so many times.  The all-girl choir at my school did it last year.

Invader Zimo: yes, well, yahiko hasn't a major role yet, so he may or may not appear again.  Kaoru is not happy, but if they do make up, it will take awhile, since they had an interesting rivalry in the manga.  Sano will not be so difficult for megumi to win over- he's best friends with kenshin, so he can't be very judgmental.  Kenji will be here eventually, but not until the very end, sorry.  It's kind of a surprise how he comes in, so I'm not saying more.


	32. Return

The Sacred Night, Chapter 31 

I did not see Sano for several days, and when I asked Megumi, she had not, either.  I looked for him at his house, and always found it in its hauntingly empty and relatively uncluttered state.  I could never sense him, no matter where I went in the vicinity of Tokyo.  There was not much sense in looking elsewhere, because he probably only did it because he wanted to be alone.  There was no keeping a vampire that wanted to be alone- they'd be in Serbia before you could say 'stay.'

I thought he may have gone to someplace of significance from the past to reminisce, but I couldn't know all of those places to look.  He needed to think by himself awhile, so I left off looking.  He would come when he was ready to talk to Megumi, and possibly want to talk to me as well.  I was sure he would accept her eventually, but was still worried about it in the meantime.  I was becoming worried about Megumi, as well.

"Was he there, Ken-san?"  She asked once again as we met in my living room in the early morning.

"No, Megumi-dono, he was not," I answered dismally.  She was getting more enthusiastic about letting me feed on her than she had once been.  She was getting very bitter in Sanosuke's absence, but clearly telling herself she was not.

"I didn't think.  That big, dumb bird-head is too stubborn to admit he was hasty,"

"Sano will come around, Megumi-dono, that he will,"

"I don't care," she breezed, sweeping across to the couch and waiting for me.  The subject was apparently closed, so I thought it would be wise to heed her words, whether or not they were true.  I followed her and took up the subject that filled the time in which I fed on her.

_I woke up in the dimming dusk as always, and was again alone.  I did not look for the last vestiges of sunlight, eagerly racing against my physical being to see the forbidden light.  I did not settle back into my futon and cling to sleep.  I sat up and looked for my beloved.  I had never awakened with her by my side before.  This should not seem out of the ordinary, but this sunset should be different because the last sunrise had been different from all others.  She had said my name, crooned it as a soothing song to savor, and I had replied with hers in equal relish.  We had broken the barrier, become one body, and fallen into unconsciousness together as the sun arose over the city of __Kyoto__._

_This nightfall was not as it should be, as was foreshadowed by the dawn.  I dressed more quickly than I ever had and walked with a silly urgency, telling myself she was simply eating her breakfast or some such human activity, that it was perfectly natural that she should wake up before I did, but she was not eating her breakfast.  She was not bathing, or sweeping the floor.  I hurried through the house, seeking her ever more urgently, until I found her in an empty room, sitting in the floor.  She was looking at herself in the mirror, staring at the very trait from which I couldn't take my eyes._

_"Tomoe-chan, I… I'm sorry," I began when I could form coherent sentences.  I went to her, and she took her hand from her hair and shook her head slowly._

_"No, Ken-chan, I knew… I knew this would happen,"  she answered cryptically.  Why would she have let me do this to her?_

_"Then why did you let me…"_

_"Because of last night, because I feel… different,"_

_"Are you sick?"  She chose this most inappropriate moment to smile for me.  It was the second in the time I'd known her._

_"No.  You made me feel good.  It was worth this," she held up the offending white band in her black hair._

_"No, it wasn't.  I could have made you feel good without doing that… I took too much… perhaps it can be reversed… I could change you…"_

_"No,"_

_I looked down again.  Perhaps she didn't really feel what I'd hoped.  I was still a… **thing**, which she could never conceive of becoming.  I understood, of course, and could not blame her for feeling that way, but it hurt._

_"That's not why, Ken-chan," she continued, bending down to catch my downcast eyes and bring them back up.  "You are a most desirable creature, but I do not want to live forever.  I do not want to stay as I am for hundreds of years to come; I want to grow old and die and be reborn,"_

_"But you will die very soon if I do not,"_

_"I know.  I would like to enjoy my last few days with you as it has been,"_

_"You will last much longer than a few days; if I don't feed on you, you will live several years,"_

_"I want you to continue as you have been,"_

_"No,"_

_"But-"_

_"I won't hurt you any more than I already have!"_

_We argued, but I was adamant.  No matter how she insisted, I refused to feed on her knowing how much it had been  hurting her.  I thought I had been successful, but when I opened my eyes the next nightfall, I tasted blood in my mouth.  I was not injured, so it wasn't mine- besides, I would have tasted the difference.  When she came to me, I saw a red line on her wrist and knew what she had done._

"She fed you against your will, then?"

"Well, yes," I answered hesitantly.  "I should have stopped her,"

"How could you have?  You were asleep,"

"I could have left,"

She had no answer to that.  I had shirked my duty, and there was no defending my decision.  I had known I could leave, and there was no way she could have found me if I so chose.  I could have fixed it, could have gained her years, but I was selfish.  I stayed because I loved her, but I should have left because I loved her.

"She'd never have found me if I went far enough,"

"Another vampire could have told her where you were.  She found you easily enough the first time,"

"No.  I was the Battousai, remember, Megumi-dono.  They would have known not to interfere," she looked down.  "It _was _my fault.  I killed her,"

"She still chose it herself.  She wouldn't have wanted you to leave,"

"I should have, though.  If I had, she would have lived several years more,"

"And probably killed herself anyway," Megumi shot back.  I had not expected such an emotional response from her.

"Megumi-dono, I do not think we should talk about this anymore, that I do not,"

"Not until you admit that it wasn't totally your fault!  Not everything is, you know!"

"Listen to me," I leaned toward her to emphasize my point.  "She was a saint.  She gave a sacrifice that should not have been required of her, and it was my fault that she was able to do it.  That is the truth," I finished and left without further comment.  I stalked out of the living room and went immediately to Kaoru's and my bedroom, where Kaoru was waiting.

"What's the matter?"  She asked, bothered by my terse silence.  I knew she had always hated when I didn't tell her what was bothering me, and had learned that it was a surefire way to fail in my goal of not worrying her.

"I just… had some unpleasant memories, that I did, Kaoru-dono,"

"Oh?  Come here then, and I'll give you a better one,"

We passed a pleasant day asleep together.  When I awoke, she was not next to me, as she usually was not, but I did not fear.  I arose and dressed without hurry and exited the room to find her eating with Megumi again.  They were both quiet, and this time I wisely chose not to rupture it.  They finished soon and Megumi left, still working with other bound humans and vampires to cure the virus that had swept Tokyo earlier in the year.

"We're alone," Kaoru informed me as she advanced toward me, but she didn't sound like I expected her to sound when making that particular statement.  I knew that that meant we were going to have a talk, and probably one I didn't want to have.  "Did you talk to Takani-san like I asked you to?"

"Yes, Kaoru-dono, I did," I finished, hoping futilely that that was all.

"What did she say?"  Kaoru sat next to me, waiting for me to say that Megumi had agreed and everything was all right, but I could not say that.

"She said she wouldn't change, that she did," I replied, my throat incredibly dry.  Why did I only clam up like this around women?  I could face fire and a vampire with no ken-ki, but not my own wife.

"She said _what_?  How could she say that?  She can't just keep… ARRGGHHHH!"

"Kaoru-dono, please calm down!  I will try to get her to stop, that I will!"

"No, you won't.  I'm giving that vixen a piece of my mind!"  She left the couch as quickly as she'd settled on it and slammed the door behind her as she left the house.  I was alone, but not for long.  The vampire I least expected to see solidified in my vision and walked to sit precisely where Kaoru had been.

"I wanted to wait until the Fox and Missy left, cause I kinda need to talk to you,"

"All right, Sano.  Have you thought about Megumi-dono?"

"That's about _all_ I been thinkin' about.  I been thinkin' about those 91,300 people, and I been thinkin' about the ones I did in, too.  I didn't do the math, so I don't know how many, but I remember 'em.  I been thinkin' about you, and me, and Aoshi, and the Fox, and I figure it's just as bad no matter how many.  The only difference is she didn't see the people she killed, and she was forced.  You know me, Kenshin," I nodded, "I like a good fight.  It's fun, and sometimes it's useful, but I haven't killed anybody in awhile now.  I never liked that, and I know you didn't, either.  I figure she didn't, either, and she's got a lotta people tellin' her she's bad, but there's nothing anybody can do about it now.  Aoshi told me she tried to kill herself, and I'm glad she didn't.  That way I got to meet her, plus she can be a doctor and save people's lives now to repair the damage a little, maybe.  And I don't know any of those people who took her opium- heck, maybe none of 'em even died,"

"That would be a good thing to tell Megumi-dono, that it would," I replied, glad Sano was in a mature state of mind on his return, and not still angry.

"I know.  I'm gonna find her and tell her right now," he finished before he disappeared from my sight.

I was alone once again in the house, this time not anxious for Megumi's welfare in the face of my wife's wrath, but glad for her.  I was also glad for Sano, perhaps more so, but I knew Megumi would have few problems with my wife after this.  All of her flirting energy would certainly be spent elsewhere than on me, and I could soon go back to feeding on my wife.  Most of the problems of recent times were fading, and only the transparent and elusive shadow would remain on our lives: we were only half a family.

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did i use 'terse' correctly?  anybody who knows exactly what it means, tell me…

hey!  this fic is almost finished!  i think maybe just one more chapter and an epilogue are left!

Forbidden Dream: what do you mean, you were late?  This is the same time I always check, and it was there…

Lady Battousai: yeah, especially when it involves kaoru… she's funny no matter who she's mad at!

Kenshin's My Man: I don't recall being offended… I'm honored to be addressed with '-sama,' but it's really not necessary.  Glad you like the good day thing- it didn't make sense for vamps to say good night, so I thought it would be kinda cute to change it.  What's this :3 ?

ILoveLegolas: well, as I said, I'm not a big Orlando bloom fan, but I see enough of him tacked up on my sister's walls.  She's really into good charlotte right now, though, and getting obsessed with a guitar player…  but yes, I do love men with long hair if they are the type that can pull it off, and believe me, kenshin is.  Aoshi is interesting, really, not just a rock… but the same could be said of battousai, ne?

Yuhi-thedoerofevildeeds: glad you graduated!  Congrats!  I still have this year and one more.  Yes, kenji will be appearing soon, because the fic is ending soon.  He'll be in the epilogue, and I'm not saying how.

Invader Zimo: yes, you will have to wait and see!  Vamps can't have children because they are undead creatures, and the only way to get more is to change humans into them.  They are a whole different category from 'living things,' and that's about the only explanation I can give.  I'm the author and I made it that way.  Some authors say they can have kids.  I have used the good day thing before, but no one commented on it until this chapter… I guess I drew attention to it.  Sano and megumi will end up together, yes.  Yahiko is kinda cute, I think.  (not, cute cute, but you know, cute).  He sometimes seems like the most mature person around when everybody else is arguing and kenshin's just saying oro… but really kenshin would have to be more mature, of course.  He acts twice his age.


	33. Farewell is not Forever

**The Sacred Night, Chapter 32**

****

Sano and Megumi stayed annexed away in the room where Megumi had been sleeping for a very long time.  Sometimes we heard muffled words, and sometimes not.  They were there practically all night while Kaoru and I stayed in our own room the majority of the time.  We had enjoyed this time of being together so much, but we both knew Kaoru would have to go back to work soon.  She might have been healthy enough to do so for awhile already, but she was waiting for Megumi to pronounce her healthy enough to be fed upon first.

When the two of them finally came out, Sano had his arm around Megumi and she had two tiny, fresh wounds on her neck.  I was a little concerned by this, since it wasn't usually a good idea for two vampires to feed on the same human in one night, even if that human was bound.  I could go without it until Kaoru became healthy again, though, if it made the two of them happy.

"I see you two are on good terms again," I commented as they walked out to the living room with us.

"Yes.  Sano shared an interesting insight with me," Megumi replied.  "I'm surprised he knows the word 'insight,'" she finished, and I could almost swear she really did look like a fox there for a second.

"Don't get started on that, Fox Lady," Sano replied languidly, not even attempting to keep the banter going.  We all settled in the living room, and it was obvious who was with whom.  Megumi snuggled up to Sano on one end of the couch, while I left my arm around Kaoru on the other.  The newer couple was so obvious, it was sickening in a cute and funny way.  Suddenly, a soft growl was heard emitting from a stomach.

"You vampires have had enough for awhile.  Time for the humans to eat!"  Megumi announced, and left for the kitchen to prepare something.  She didn't even look at me in her passing.  Kaoru, however, did not comment.

"Kaoru-dono, may I see you in our room a moment?"  She followed me, politely curious, and when we came to a stop in our room, I explained my purpose.

"Did you speak to Megumi-dono as you said before that you would?"

"Yes, I certainly did.  I see it's working,"

"I wish you had not.  Since she and Sano are… involved now, I think the problem has fixed itself, that I do,"

"It doesn't matter.  She was out of line.  You are just too nice to say no to people," she softened toward the end.

"She did not ask me to do anything like that with her, that she-"

"That's not what I meant.  You probably _asked_ her to please not do that, and she didn't get the message that I meant business.  I _told_ her to stop it immediately, because you are married and she is not taking you from me!"

"Calm down, Kaoru-dono," I whispered, enfolding her in a hug.  "No one is going to take me away from you, that they are not.  Never,"

I was sure she knew this already, but after 125 years of marriage, if I had learned one thing about women, it was that they liked to be told these things over and over.  It was reassuring for me to say them, too.  She did not cry or anything overly dramatic, but she returned my hug fiercely.  I stroked her hair, gray streak included, mumbled phrases of assurance, and eventually we walked back out to the others hand in hand.  Megumi had two portions of some strange dish I had never eaten even when I was alive prepared and waiting in the kitchen.  As much as she had a rivalry going with Kaoru, she still had manners.  The two humans went to the kitchen to eat, politely away from us even though we could not be tempted with their food for the world.  Sano and I were alone again, sitting in peaceful silence.

"I owe you one for telling me that about the Fox," Sano said after a few moments.

"I was only telling the truth, that I was.  You would have done the same,"

"No, I wouldn't, because you would have stayed and let _her_ tell you.  Actually, you _did_,"

"It's all right, Sano.  You found out the truth, and you did what you knew was right once you knew it.  Everyone is fine now, that they are,"

"I hurt Megumi,"

"Yes.  I'm not going to lie to you and say you did not, that I'm not.  However, Megumi-dono has forgiven you, and she is very happy now,"

The two women returned to our company then, and we cut our conversation short, but I think Sano got the point.  We all stayed together through the night, laughing, talking, and the humans occasionally eating.  The only flirting that went on was exchanged by parties who had no objections, and Megumi showed no hint of anything that looked like malice toward Sano.  Only two things were wrong with the world, both due to my cursed vampire nature.

"I think it's safe to go back to Aizu now," Megumi began during a lull.  "I'm going to leave tomorrow,"

We were all silent, not knowing how Sano would take this news.  The distance wouldn't really be an issue, but he might take it as a sign that Megumi didn't want to be around him anymore, which I was sure was not the case.  Kaoru would probably not take her leaving too hard, but I would miss her a certain amount, and probably should not visit her as Sano frequently would.  We all looked toward him, trying to gauge his reaction until he spoke.

"Hey, no big deal.  I'm a vampire, right?  I'll be there at a second's notice.  If you want me, I mean,"

"I do,"

"Um, Sanosuke, have you ever been to Aizu?  You know you can only do that if you know where you're going…" Kaoru spoke up.  As childlike an image she seemed to have, she was very perceptive.  She always picked up on these things even I had neglected to think about at the moment.  We all looked again to see what his answer would be, since on it hinged the possibility of his easily continuing a relationship with Megumi.

"Well, no, but… all I'd have to do is see it.  I'll just go there the regular way once and after that it'll be okay,"

There were several smiles at that, and it was all really very nice, but talk of her leaving had raised a question in me that I just had to have answered.  It could not wait.  "Megumi-dono," she looked toward me, politely waiting for me to speak.  It was almost too great a question to ask, and I could have sworn that my heart was beating quickly within me.  "If it is safe for you to leave now, does that mean Kaoru-dono is completely healthy now?"

It seemed like hours before she answered me, though it was probably only a few seconds.  Kaoru was squeezing my hand with vampirelike strength, and that was the only thing keeping it from shaking violently.  "Yes, Ken-san.  You can feed on her tonight," she answered with a smile, surely knowing how wonderful the news made me feel.  Kaoru squeezed my hand even tighter and then let go to let me hug her as tightly as she could stand it.  I remembered, however, that though I did not need air, she did, and quickly allowed her to have it again.

I don't know how Kaoru felt about it, but I was anxious all through Sano's and Megumi's departure.  I would certainly miss them, but I knew that like Sano, I could see either of them whenever I felt the desire, and besides, I had not fed on Kaoru in over a month.  We had some parting conversation and wished them safety on the road.  When they were both strapped in and her little red car had faded into the distance, Kaoru and I hurried back to our house.

We couldn't get to our bedroom fast enough.  I wasn't even all that hungry; I just wanted her.  I almost dispensed with the formalities of closing to window and door, but she urged me to do so, assuring me that while it wasn't likely, it was _possible_ that someone could be watching if I did not.  With that task finished I went to lie with her.

When I at last tasted her ki, it was almost as if I'd never fed before in that it was so desired, but at the same time it was the most gloriously familiar thing in the world.  She was stable and steadfast, just like her ki that reminded me of a glassy-surfaced lake draped with tiny, green lights moving in a rhythm only flying things know how to duplicate in the soft, sacred night.

When I had fulfilled my hunger and we had fused into one being once more, she fell quietly into the languorous, dreamless sleep of the totally contented.  I was far from ready to sleep, since dawn was quite a way off still, but I was equally content to watch her small frame expand and contract with each breath, listen to each heartbeat, and drink in the glow of the moonlight like silk on her milky, white complexion.  She was more beautiful than she had ever been in that moment, and as with all true beauty, she was completely unaware of it.

One of the problems of my unnatural nature was alleviated now that I was completely unified with my wife once again.  The only thing left to add in order for the night to be as full to me as the day, and to her as well, I knew because she had told me many times, was a small stirring of new life within her abdomen, followed by a crib in the corner of the room.  I had cursed myself thousands of times for being the reason she could not have the fulfillment of this desire.  It was truly only me, since as a human, even bound, she was fully capable of bearing children.  It was I that could not.

We had discussed adoption before, but honestly, what human couple in their right minds would consider allowing a vampire to have custody of their children?  It would be highly suspicious to request that all dealings be done at night, and there was the ever-present problem that such basic information as our ages and birth dates would be required, and the answers we supplied would alone be enough to justify sending us to the sanitarium, to say nothing of being allowed to adopt a human child.

There were also alternatives in which she could be artificially inseminated with another man's seed, which she could do during the day, but she had always renounced any desire to bear children in this manner.  She was correct to infer that I would be saddened by my lack of a biological connection to her child, but I had never told her this because I knew that I could love any person connected to her as much as I loved her, in spite of not having such a connection myself.

She stirred next to me and woke to see my pained concentration on the empty corner.  She took my hand and squeezed it, knowing exactly what the matter was.  She looked up at me meaningfully, clearly feeling the same loss, but did not look sad.  "I know it might not work if we try to get a baby, but… I'd like to try," she murmured, full of hope.  I only pulled her close again and whispered my agreement.

******************************************************************************************************

and HOW are they going to get this baby?  you'll find out next time!  (nothing dirty, of course!)

Forbidden Dream:  everything must come to an end.  just the epilogue left, but believe me, it's great.  you'll love it.

Cattibrie393: are you referring to Sano's little speech when you say 'quick and almost callous'?  i thought it was pretty insightful for Sano… but i'm glad you appreciate my efforts at realism (as real as a vamp fic with Kenshin can be…)

CowGirl4Ever: i understand.  i have a lot to do on my spring break as well, but mine is this week, so i'm not going back for awhile.  yes, Tuesday, and Thursday for the epilogue.

Lady Battousai: no, i never mind a recommendation of a good fic!  i'll check it out today!

Kenshin's My Man: that smiley thing is cute!  yes, the epilogue will be here on Thursday, and Kenji is in it.  in fact, it is pretty much all about him.

Invader Zimo: thanks!  no, i have not seen that movie, unfortunately, but i can imagine exactly what you mean.  i'd like to watch the Japanese versions and see if i can understand what's going on… i did that with the cowboy bebop movie, but i'd already seen the English version, so it sort of defeated the purpose.  i heard than his voice is pretty womanish in the English versions, as well, though…


	34. Epilogue

**The Sacred Night, Epilogue**

I had a serious case of butterflies as I disembarked from Kaoru's car.  She did not wait for me to open her door, though I would gladly have done so.  Instead, we both got out and met in front of the vehicle to walk with our hands clasped tightly together toward the door of a brick building to which we had never been before.  Kaoru had spoken to a woman from here on the phone and we had been sent a packet of information in the mail about a child who had just arrived.  He had now been in their custody several weeks as we waded through paperwork.  We would finally see our son and take him home with us tonight.

We reached the glass double doors and a young woman in a gray, tailored business suit met us there.  She opened the door and we entered and bowed to her.  After she returned the gesture and introduced herself as Maruki Akane, she pointed to the ceiling, from which businesslike light fixtures hung.  "Are these safe, Himura-san?"  She asked.  Kaoru had explained on the phone that I had a 'condition' that would not allow me to go out during the day, but had not given details.

"Yes, they're fine," I answered, and at that she led us through the halls to her office.  We sat in two chairs close to the door, and she sat behind her desk and picked up the papers we had sent.  We had not lied about our ages on the forms, and hoped she would not scrutinize that part too closely.  She seemed satisfied as she skimmed them over through her brown-rimmed glasses.

"All right, everything seems to be in order… you've filled out everything necessary," she shuffled through the papers some more and filed them away.  "You said in your form that you have considered adoption before, but were reluctant to try it.  Why is that?"

I didn't know what I could say without revealing more than I should about my 'condition.'  I could not say that no sane couple would allow their children to live in my house, since that might lend the wrong impression… "We were afraid we would be refused because of my condition, that we were," I answered, settling on a truthful, but much abbreviated version of my thoughts.

"Well, it is true that individuals with disabilities are often not given full consideration; however your particular condition does not seem as if it would interfere with your ability to parent a child, and your wife's income seems satisfactory given your recent tax documents… you two must be very frugal.  You don't seem to spend enough money to care for two people,"

"We can get by with less than most people, that's for sure," Kaoru commented.

"I have a concern you may wish to know about before taking Kenji home," Maruki-san said.  We focused all attention on her words then; we didn't want anything to hinder our taking our new child home.  "He has not been eating properly, even though he seems hungry like any other child.  He refuses a bottle when one is given, so he is in the hospital right now receiving nourishment intravenously,"

Our baby was in the hospital hooked up to equipment?  Would he die?  We had only seen the boy in pictures, but it was enough.  He was already ours as far as we were concerned.  He even looked like he could be my biological son, if that were possible.  We loved him already.

"Can we see him?"  I asked, still confused and shocked.

"Certainly.  I'll have to come with you, since everything's not quite finished, you understand,"

"All right.  Can we go now?"

"Yes.  It'll be faster if I drive.  Do you object to that?"

We did not.  She knew which hospital and how to get there, and since we could not prove our guardianship of the patient yet, we needed her identification to pass through security.  The three of us were led by a nurse up several flights of stairs and down a maze of halls until we reached the room in which our child lay.  We could hear the cries before we entered to see the writhing child in the sterile bassinet.  We were even more surprised, however, to see that on the monitor displaying his vital signs, there were only flat lines.

"Is this broken?"  Kaoru asked the nurse, pointing to the piece of equipment.

"No, Ma'am, we've tested it.  We don't understand why it's not displaying anything, since he's obviously alive, although he might not be if we don't figure out what's wrong soon.  We keep feeding him through the IV, but he doesn't get any better, and he sleeps through the entire day without so much as a peep.  Most kids his age are just starting to sleep through the night!"

I understood why all of those things were true immediately.  There was only one humanoid species that could move and function without a heartbeat or breath and who did not benefit from normal food.  My son had gotten my condition.  I was sure of this, since he also had no ki of his own, and had not ingested any.  A baby emaciated from starving is a very sad thing to see.  "May we see him alone?"  I asked both the nurse and Maruki-san.  Both politely left.

"Is he…" Kaoru understood from the vital signs and the nurse's description, but wanted confirmation.

"Yes.  He's starving to death, Kaoru-dono,"

"How could a baby become…"

"It can be done.  It would have to take either a very sick vampire or a danger to the child's life if he was not changed, but it can be done.  It's just a good thing he doesn't know how to use mind control yet,"

"And they haven't been letting him feed," she finished and immediately began rolling up her sleeve.  She offered it to let the baby feed, and he seemed to sense that there was blood to be had nearby, but either he was too starved or simply did not know how to change the shape of his scant few teeth so they would sink easily into human flesh.

"He can't.  You're going to have to cut it open," I informed her.  She hunted around in her purse, but could not find a sharp object, and there certainly weren't any in the hospital room.  I would have to supply that.  She held her wrist out to me and I kissed it to reassure her before giving her a slightly toothier kiss, but she didn't feel it any more than she usually did when I did the same to her neck.  She then offered it to the baby again and I did not stop the illusion in her mind that involved no pain whatsoever.  The baby ceased crying and knew what to do from that point.  He didn't continue nearly as long as I would have, since as hungry as he was, his tiny body would only hold so much.

"What's going on in there?  Is Kenji all right?"  Maruki-san asked through the door out of concern for our son.

"He's fine, that he is.  You two can come in now,"  I told her, and she and the nurse both rushed in to check on him for themselves.  His vital signs still read zero, but he was no longer hungry and crying and his ki had taken on a resemblance to Kaoru's.

"What did you two do?  He hasn't looked this good since he came here!"  The nurse exclaimed.  Kaoru and I exchanged a look.

"It was a home remedy, that it was,"

In the future, when we went to see Kenji in the hospital, we had to be searched before we went in, since even though it had benefited him, it was still considered dangerous for us to treat him without a doctor's approval.  It didn't matter, though, since they could hardly take away her blood and my teeth.  They never understood what we were doing when we went in alone, and that was fine with us.  We were able to take him home within a week.

Even though he did not take much, it was not a good idea for two vampires two attempt to survive feeding on the same human.  We bound a human nearby to him and she allowed him to feed nightly when we took him to her, much like Aoshi and Misao did with the humans they had bound.  He would stay an infant for a very, very long time, since vampires did not age normally, but we were up to the challenge.  We had looked forward to it longer than he would be able to imagine.

Now, as a very, very old vampire looking back on this, I can say that I no longer miss the sunlight.  Many of my greatest memories were lit only by the moon.  My wife's face is like fine porcelain as she lies here next to me in the dark, and I would not wish it any other way.  The cool night air is gentle as the bright sun cannot be in the summer, and in the winter the night's stillness amplifies the falling of the snow.  I live in this beautiful, sacred night.

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yay, finished!  not that i didn't enjoy writing it, because i did, right up to the end, but it's nice to have the finished product here in front of me.  i love you all and thank you for reading!

OH MY GOSH.  I thought i posted this, like, months ago, and i was wondering why i wasn't getting any reviews… imagine my surprise when i found out it had not posted at all!  I am SO SORRY!

Yuhi-thedoerofevildeeds:  glad you're in suspense… all is revealed now, ne?

Forbidden Dream: i doubt i'll write a sequel, but i'm glad you liked this one so much.  If the sequel bothers you that much, you can write one.  I wouldn't object.

Invader Zimo: eww… a woman faking Kenshin's voice… that DOES sound awful.  This was the last chapter, yes, but forbidden dream may choose to write it a sequel… and yes, Kenji has red hair.

Lady Battousai:  all good things must come to and end.  If someone else write a sequel, i will not be offended, though i don't plan on doing one myself.  Glad you've enjoyed it, and perhaps i'll see you in another fic.

Kenshin's My Man: glad i rock… no, i won't be writing a sequel, but someone else may.  I hope to be filling your Tuesdays with another fic soon!


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